Founded in 1909, Audi AG is a widely known German manufacturer of luxury vehicles. Moreover, Audi, along with the likes of German competitors such as Mercedes Benz and BMW, makes Germany the biggest seller of luxury vehicles.
Since 1966, Volkswagen has owned a significant subsidiary of Audi, and today, the Volkswagen Group of Germany owns 99.5 percent of Audi’s shares.
Although in the earlier part of 2021, Audi was numbering low on sales, After the first half of 2021, Audi was breaking records with over 981,681 delivered vehicles making it the new best in company history.
Best Audi Competitors and Alternatives
Mercedes Benz
Founded in 1926, Mercedes is another German luxury automobile brand ruling the automotive industry along with the 3 big German luxury car brands.
Besides selling gorgeous cars, Mercedes also deals with manufacturing commercial vehicles such as buses, trucks, and SUVs.
Mercedes, adhering to its slogan of “best or nothing, has sold over 2.31 million cars in the year 2018. Mercedes Benz is one of the strongest competitors.
Due to the brand’s continued reputation of producing classy and durable automobiles, Mercedes shares a healthy rivalry with Audi.
BMW
The Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or as the world knows it to be, ‘BMW’, is a global German luxury car brand established and based in Munich in 1916.
The company has come a long way from manufacturing aircraft engines to establishing its presence as a premium automobile brand by the end of the 20th century.
In 2017, BMW became the 14th largest producer of motor vehicles in the world, with its rich history latched in motorsport.
Despite the pandemic, the German triumvirate of luxury car brands performed well while BMW soared higher than ever in the annual sales figures for 2021, beating both Mercedes and Audi.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin is an instantly recognized luxury car brand with its unique history and rich heritage in Grand Tourer racing.
Founded in 1913 by Englishmen Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is the world’s one and only independent manufacturer of luxury sports cars and GTs.
Ashton Martin, the brand, got its first global recognition in 24 Hours of LeMans victory by the DBR1 in 1959, and again when Sean Connery drove the DB5 model in the movie Goldfinger. Aston Martin is one of the top Audi competitors in US
Lexus
Lexus is yet another popular and marketable luxury vehicle brand that can compete with not only Audi but other luxury car brands as well.
Metaphorically speaking, Lexus is a brainchild of Toyota, or in simpler words, it is a division of Toyota’s premium cars based in Nagoya, Japan.
Today Lexus is a renowned brand worldwide as it is marketed to 90 countries worldwide.
The Lexus marque was created in 1989 by Toyota to market their premium cars into foreign markets with the introduction of an exclusive brand.
Lexus has been growing since 2000, and today it shares a healthy competition with Audi as both the brands delve into similar target markets.
5. Porsche
Porsche is another esteemed company on this list that shares the similarity of its origin with the big trio of luxury car brands.
Just like the other competitor of, Audi, Porsche is a leading manufacturer of luxurious cars and a top player in the production of sports cars, sedans, and SUVs.
Headquartered in Zuffenhausen, Germany, Porsche has been known for delving into technological aspects, and supercars like the 918 Spyder and the GT3 RS are prime examples.
Despite the pandemic, the worldwide demand for Porsche’s vehicles has been on par with the other big car brands.
Ferrari
For some, the name Ferrari is enough, and for some true car enthusiasts, Ferrari symbolizes limitless achievement in creating icons. Ferrari is largest competitor to Audi in the European and American markets.
Although the company’s actual offices are in Maranello, Italy, the official headquarters have been in Amsterdam since the restructuring of Ferrari N.V in October 2015.
Since the establishment of the brand by Enzo Ferrari in 1947, Ferrari has always marketed their vehicles through their dominance in the world of sports racing.
Today, with over 3500 employees, Ferrari enjoys massive purchases in the European and American markets while competing neck-to-neck with Audi.
Bentley
The name ‘Bentley’ for Bentley motors originated from the brand’s creator named, W.O Bentley. The brand founded a century ago, is steering the market competition with the help of its products and a team of 4000 dedicated employees.
Bentley, which has its headquarters situated in Crew, England, has been a subsidiary of the Volkswagen group since 1998.
With the introduction of automobile customization, Bentley has a stronghold in the global car brand competition as Bentley has become a natural preference for customers looking for a specific style.
Lamborghini
Lamborghini is another Italian invention in the domain of luxury car brands, founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963 to compete with Ferrari.
Since then, when it comes to ownership, Lamborghini has had quite a few of them throughout its history.
As of 2022, the brand is owned by Audi A.G, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen group. Due to continuous changes of ownership in the past, the brand saw fluctuation in sales before.
Now, as a subsidiary of Audi A.G, Lamborghini has recorded exceptional sales from the year 2010- to 2018, thus giving strong competition to Audi in the European markets.
Volvo
Volvo or AB Volvo is a Swedish multinational corporation that deals with the production, distribution, and sales of heavy-duty trucks, buses, and construction equipment.
On the other hand, Volvo Cars is a Chinese-owned multinational manufacturing company of luxury vehicles. Without question, Volvo is a powerful competitor to Audi.
Volvo cars were indeed a division of Volvo until 1999 when AB Volvo decided to sell off Volvo cars to the Ford motor co.
Even after multiple changes of ownership, Volvo cars continue to produce high-end luxury vehicles, thus, making itself a global competitor to Audi while sharing the same logo with Volvo.
Hyundai
Hyundai motor company, or ‘Hyundai’, is a South Korean multinational manufacturer of automotive headquartered in the capital Seoul.
The word ‘Hyundai’ translates to modernity, and for decades, the company has been at the forefront due to its investment in modern car designs and manufacturing.
In 2015, Hyundai gave birth to Genesis, a separate luxury division solely launched to compete with premium brands such as Mercedes, Lexus, and BMW.
Hyundai is certainly a competitor to Audi as Hyundai has control over the world’s largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility, which has an annual production capacity of 1.6 million units.
Similar Posts:
- Best Lexus Competitors: Comparing Price, Performance, and Prestige
- Top 10 Volvo Competitors in a Battle of Automotive Titans!
- 9+ Top Ferrari Competitors in the Market
- Top 10 Mercedes-Benz Competitors and Alternatives
- Porsche: 10 Top Competitors and Alternatives
“Business, marketing, and Branding – these three words describe me the best. I am the founder of Burban Branding and Media, and a self-taught marketer with 10 years of experience. My passion lies in helping startups enhance their business through marketing, Branding, leadership, and finance. I am on a mission to assist businesses in achieving their goals.”