ATL Autohaus which was formed some 18 months ago is reporting that for the first time in Jamaica, sales of Audi motor vehicles have surpassed those of BMW.

According to the General Manager of ATLAutohaus Anthony Desnoes who is also the brand manager for Audi, the Automobile Dealers Association (ADA) has released figures for the month of September with Stewart Motors selling 15 BMWs in Jamaica and ATL Autohaus selling 16 Audi motor vehicles.

Speaking with Caribbean Business Report yesterday, Desnoes said: " We have worked very hard to build brand awareness and many Jamaicans are now gravitating to Audi. We have managed to marry one of the top premier car brands with the most successful entrepreneur in the Caribbean and it has paid off. The reduction in government duties has also helped us. At this point in time we are ahead of where we thought we would be.

"For some time now we felt that Stewart Motors was selling BMW's to people outside of Jamaica and so their numbers looked more flattering than they really were. They are now submitting sales for just Jamaica which gives us a clearer picture of just how well we are matching up."

Of the 16 Audi vehicles sold last month, 7 were Q5s and 4 were A5 sportbacks It is seeing growing sales of the Audi A5 sportsback. Desnoes added that for the first four months of this year, January to April they averaged selling less than six Audi cars per month. However for the last four months, June to September, ATL Autohaus has sold12 Audi vehicles per month. In total, all ATL car dealerships combined, have sold 103 vehicles for the month of September.

Brand Manager for Jaguar/Land Rover Mike Fisher said: "Right now Land Rover sales are ahead of those of Mercedes. We have outsold them for the second month in a row. We are seeing great business with the Land Rover Discovery. In fact in the SUV category we have beaten Mercedes for the entire year. Our sales of Range Rover are picking up and we expect the Range Rover Evoque to be a great seller in Jamaica."

The Range Rover Evoque is not yet officially on sale in Jamaica just yet but already ATL Autohaus has presold quite a few. Victoria Beckham, otherwise known as 'Posh Spice' played a significant role in its interior design. It is expected to sell for J$7.5 million, putting it in the same price range as the Toyota Prado.

Meanwhile in the United States Audi is reporting the best ever September sales, marking the ninth record breaking month of the year. Last month it sold 9,725 vehicles, a 19.3 per cent gain over the previous September record of 8,151 set in 2010. Demand for the all new 2012 Audi A6 increased 42.8 per cent and the Audi Q7 year to date sales enjoyed a 30.8 per cent uptick.

"Our strong third quarter sales figures clearly reinforce that Audi is a luxury market leader," said Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen. " All indications continue to point toward 2011 winding up as the best year Audi has ever enjoyed in the U.S. market with even more sales growth ahead."

Much like parent company Volkswagen has its sights set on global domination, Audi feels it will soon surpass BMW to become the world's number one premium automaker. According to CEO Rupert Stadler, Audi believes it can overtake BMW by 2015.

Audi sales overtakes BMW for the first time in Jamaica.

By Al Edwards

ATL Autohaus which was formed some 18 months ago is reporting that for the first time in Jamaica, sales of Audi motor vehicles have surpassed those of BMW.

According to the General Manager of ATLAutohaus Anthony Desnoes who is also the brand manager for Audi, the Automobile Dealers Association (ADA) has released figures for the month of September with Stewart Motors selling 15 BMWs in Jamaica and ATL Autohaus selling 16 Audi motor vehicles.

Speaking with Caribbean Business Report yesterday, Desnoes said: " We have worked very hard to build brand awareness and many Jamaicans are now gravitating to Audi. We have managed to marry one of the top premier car brands with the most successful entrepreneur in the Caribbean and it has paid off. The reduction in government duties has also helped us. At this point in time we are ahead of where we thought we would be.

"For some time now we felt that Stewart Motors was selling BMW's to people outside of Jamaica and so their numbers looked more flattering than they really were. They are now submitting sales for just Jamaica which gives us a clearer picture of just how well we are matching up."

Of the 16 Audi vehicles sold last month, 7 were Q5s and 4 were A5 sportbacks It is seeing growing sales of the Audi A5 sportsback. Desnoes added that for the first four months of this year, January to April they averaged selling less than six Audi cars per month. However for the last four months, June to September, ATL Autohaus has sold12 Audi vehicles per month. In total, all ATL car dealerships combined, have sold 103 vehicles for the month of September.

Brand Manager for Jaguar/Land Rover Mike Fisher said: "Right now Land Rover sales are ahead of those of Mercedes. We have outsold them for the second month in a row. We are seeing great business with the Land Rover Discovery. In fact in the SUV category we have beaten Mercedes for the entire year. Our sales of Range Rover are picking up and we expect the Range Rover Evoque to be a great seller in Jamaica."

The Range Rover Evoque is not yet officially on sale in Jamaica just yet but already ATL Autohaus has presold quite a few. Victoria Beckham, otherwise known as 'Posh Spice' played a significant role in its interior design. It is expected to sell for J$7.5 million, putting it in the same price range as the Toyota Prado.

Meanwhile in the United States Audi is reporting the best ever September sales, marking the ninth record breaking month of the year. Last month it sold 9,725 vehicles, a 19.3 per cent gain over the previous September record of 8,151 set in 2010. Demand for the all new 2012 Audi A6 increased 42.8 per cent and the Audi Q7 year to date sales enjoyed a 30.8 per cent uptick.

"Our strong third quarter sales figures clearly reinforce that Audi is a luxury market leader," said Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen. " All indications continue to point toward 2011 winding up as the best year Audi has ever enjoyed in the U.S. market with even more sales growth ahead."

Much like parent company Volkswagen has its sights set on global domination, Audi feels it will soon surpass BMW to become the world's number one premium automaker. According to CEO Rupert Stadler, Audi believes it can overtake BMW by 2015.