Auto Channel

Page 1: Overview
Page 2: Exterior Design
Page 3: Interior
Page 4: The Body
Page 5: Engine & Drivetrain
Page 6: Suspension
Page 7: Equipment
Page 8: The Market

The market

The car market's most discerning segment

Audi is entering the most discerning segment of the car market with the R8. It is served by only few, highly prestigious manufacturers vying for the attention of affluent, highly sophisticated customers. The R8, with its characteristic design and technological expertise, coupled of course with the sports and commercial success of the Audi brand, is destined for pride of place in this field of competitors.

Sports cars are the most emotionally charged way of getting from A to B. More programmatically than any other type of vehicle, they elevate the driving experience to an end in itself and heighten awareness of the exhilarating side of mobility. And they are not afraid to display their credentials openly: with their sporty, expressive design, sports cars are also always a statement aimed at the world around them.

Purchases with the character of rewards

The reasons why someone buys a sports car are therefore always in the realm of the emotional. Acquiring such a car is often a person's means of rewarding themselves, or is the fulfilment of the dreams of their youth. The main age group for buyers of sports cars is accordingly those aged 40 to 49. The proportion of male customers is exceptionally high, at more than 95 percent – though women play a major part in the decision-making process. 90 percent of the target group own two or more vehicles.

The Audi R8 is positioned in the market segment of classic sports cars. Below it there are the small sports cars, of which the Audi TT is a very successful example, and above it the super sports cars. Sales in the Audi R8's segment have been slightly over 40,000 units in recent years, with a slight upward tendency. The sports car market is, however, driven to a very high degree by the supply end: new models stimulate the entire market.

Supreme performance plus practical utility

The market is moreover very heterogeneous. It ranges from uncompromising driving machines offering very limited everyday practicality to comfort-oriented Gran Turismo vehicles, and the demographics of their buyers are correspondingly disparate. The Audi R8, on the other hand, combines superlatively dynamic performance with high practical utility and appeals to both customer groups.

A portion of R8 buyers are expected to be loyal Audi customers who already drive a high-class model of the brand with the four rings. The majority will, however, be conquests, mainly from other makes of sports car.

With its basic price of EUR 104,400, the Audi R8 is positioned very competitively considering its technological standards, road performance, very high quality and specification. The production shop at Neckarsulm is geared up for building a total of 20 cars a day. The most important sales markets for the R8 will be Germany, the USA and Great Britain.