By Emanuele Berro
Jan 14 (Reuters) - Audi fell just short of its 2025 sales target despite a strong final quarter, the Volkswagen-owned premium carmaker said on Wednesday, citing U.S. tariffs and a highly competitive market.
The German company is under pressure after twice cutting its full-year profitability forecast as it sought to contend with difficulties in the U.S. and China in addition to restructuring costs and technological setbacks.
"An intense competitive environment in China and U.S. tariff
policy affected the entire automotive sector and shaped global consumer behaviour," Audi said.
Strength in Europe and emerging markets could not fully offset these factors, the company added, though it was more upbeat on the outlook for this year, pointing to rising monthly sales from September onwards.
Deliveries in North America were hit particularly hard last year by the 25% tariffs imposed by the U.S. in April, though they were lowered to 15% in August.
Audi registered a 12.2% slump in North American sales and a 5% drop in China as total sales dropped by 2.9% to 1.62 million vehicles, missing its target of between 1.65 million and 1.75 million.
German automakers have been losing market share in China to domestic brands such as BYD, though Audi's global deliveries of fully electric models rose 36% last year to 223,000 vehicles, with EV orders up about 58%.
Audi was not alone among German automakers registering sales declines last year, with parent Volkswagen selling 0.5% fewer vehicles than in 2024 while Mercedes-Benz deliveries fell by 9% and BMW reported a 1.4% drop in sales of its core brand.
(Reporting by Emanuele Berro in GdanskEditing by David Goodman)
