On Track for Growth: Audi SA Doubles Down on Performance and New Models for 2026

At a recent strategy briefing in Gqeberha, Audi South Africa made it clear: the four rings are not just maintaining their position in the local premium market, they’re gearing up to accelerate. With a solid 2025 sales performance of 5,350 vehicles and a 17% premium market share, the brand is leveraging its performance heritage and a fresh product offensive to drive momentum in 2026.

Head of Audi South Africa, Markus Schuster, described the local premium segment as “competitive, resilient and highly discerning,” a landscape where Audi intends to grow by playing to its historic strengths.

Building on a Legacy of Performance

The strategy is deeply rooted in Audi’s engineering pedigree. Last year marked 45 years of the revolutionary quattro all-wheel-drive system, with over 62,000 quattro vehicles sold in South Africa since 1977. This year celebrates another icon: 50 years of the beloved five-cylinder engine, a sound that defined the Audi 500 and now thrills in the modern RS 3.

This heritage isn’t just nostalgiait’s commercial fuel. Audi Sport models have found a uniquely enthusiastic audience here, with South Africa ranking an impressive third globally for Audi Sport’s share of total sales. The top-selling Q3, alongside the A1 and Q5, forms a solid volume base, while the recent arrivals of the RS Q8 Performance and new S3 have sharpened the brand’s high-performance edge.

The 2026 Roadmap: New SUVs and RS Firepower

The product pipeline for the coming year is designed to sustain this energy. Audi confirmed the arrival of the all-new Q3 and Q5 SUVs, core pillars of its lineup. For driving enthusiasts, the headline act will be the introduction of the potent Audi RS 5, further cementing the brand’s performance credentials in the local market.

Beyond the metal, Audi is betting on ownership confidence to win customers. The Audi Assured guaranteed future value program and a standard 5-year/100,000km maintenance plan (extendable up to 15 years) aim to remove traditional ownership anxieties, backed by a national network of 26 dealerships.

The Global Spotlight: Formula 1 as a Catalyst

Perhaps the most electrifying element of Audi’s future is its global motorsport leap. In 2026, Audi enters Formula 1 as a full factory teamthe Audi Revolut F1 Team. For the local market, this isn’t just a distant racing campaign; it’s a powerful marketing platform to connect South African audiences with Audi’s cutting-edge performance and technology ambitions on the world’s biggest stage.

The message from Gqeberha was one of confident, focused momentum. By intertwining iconic heritage, a refreshed model range, and the glamorous halo of F1, Audi South Africa is positioning 2026 not as a year of weathering economic storms, but as one of defining its next chapter of growth. The race, on both road and track, is on.

{Source: SundayWorld}

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