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Audi chairman Rupert Stadler rarely gives interviews to UK journalists, so CAR was chuffed to score half an hour one-to-one with the Audi boss at the recent Detroit auto show 2009. Stadler gave us the lowdown on Audi's future strategy, new-model plans and how Ingolstadt was coping in the face of a global recession. An abridged interview appears in the new March 2009 issue of CAR Magazine; over the next five pages, read the full transcript of CAR's interview with Rupert Stadler.
CAR: A lot of Audi’s growth has been delivered by new models in the past 10 years. You’ve grown from being a small brand with four or five models a decade ago, now you have 26 models in total. How much bigger can Audi go?
Rupert Stadler: I would say up to 40 models.
That’s a pretty precise answer!
This is part of our strategic planning. [Cue heavy laughing. Stadler is prone to bouts of laughter, especially when talking about secret new product plans. It's a refreshingly light touch for a boss in the auto industry]
You don’t expand like that overnight. How long before Audi has 40 models in its line-up?
By 2013 the majority of the model range will be prepared. But Audi will never stop having ideas. If an idea is a good one, we will try and launch it.
Is it important for a brand like to recalibrate what it stands for? A brand that stands still will go backwards, unless it’s innovating, won’t it?
That is true. You can never stop or be satisfied as an entrepreneur unless you innovate. We have given ourselves really ambitious targets for our 2015 strategy – but that's good. You have to set yourself ambitious targets for your future – because then you really push your organisation. Look at what we've done in past few years: Audi has really done a great job in improving its image, increasing its prestige and growing the product portfolio. And this was a big stimulation for our dealer body, because we invested in new products and they saw them before the public did. Dealers said to me: 'If this is true, then I will invest in this brand.’
Audi has broken through a million sales last year for the first time. Where do you see Audi’s volumes in the next five years?
We all know future sales depend on the market’s developments, but in general we plan to grow to 1.5 million units annually with our new, bigger product portfolio. This should be, could be, by 2015 – this is the cornerstone of our strategy. But of course we have to reflect the current financial situation...
Full Interview: Audi chairman Rupert Stadler: The CAR Interview
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