AUDI in on track to have achieved record sales of 10,000 cars in the region in 2013, according to its regional managing director but his ambitions include expansion of capacity and chasing fleet sales in order to double sales in the region by 2020.

In an interview with Arab News in Dubai, Trevor Hill, managing director of Audi Middle East said: “Almost every dealer in the region is investing in new facilities.”

In Saudi Arabia, Audi opened a new show room in AlKhobar last year and Hill intends to continue his focus on capacity planning in 2014 in addition to seeking growth.

“There is no point expanding car sales without having the capacity and quality to service our customers,” he said.

In Saudi Arabia, Hill confirmed that the market continued to grow at about 5 percent to 6 percent, albeit at a lower rate than in other GCC markets. Saudi Arabia now ranks second only to UAE in absolute sales figures. Hill believes the market has potential, especially for selling high-value vehicles such as the A8 and Q7.

He is seeking fleet sales in the Kingdom as a potential lucrative niche.

Despite need for updating, the Q7 it is still the best-selling vehicle in the region, according to Hill, followed by the A6 in UAE and the A8 in Saudi Arabia.

The company is planning to introduce a new segment to the market in 2014, the A3 sedan.

Audi expects sales in the premium segment to surge by between 12 and 15 percent in the Middle East this year, while the overall passenger car market could see a rise of 6 to 8 percent from an estimated 1.1 to 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2013, Hill said.

The UAE is a major market for Audi with sales topping 3,800 vehicles or 41 percent of the regional sales, up 21.7 percent from the previous year.

Saudi Arabia, which is the Gulf’s largest market for volume rather than premium vehicles, gained 26 percent more sales last year to get a second-place slot in Audi’s sales. Audi expects to increase global annual sales of luxury cars and sport utility vehicles to 1.5 million earlier than the planned for the 2015 target date, CEO Rupert Stadler said this month.

By 2020, the automaker plans to boost deliveries to more than 2 million as it aims to snatch leadership of the premium car market from rival BMW.

Latest sales figures show that Audi has sold 1.45 million vehicles, behind the BMW brand with 1.54 million.

The Mercedes-Benz brand came third with 1.32 million deliveries.

The company hosted a track event at the Dubai Autodrome for regional media and offered its latest sports car, the R8 V10 Coupe for track trials.

Other models tested on the local roads included the RS5, RS6 Avant and RS7.

Audi offered its top of the range R8 V10 for testing on the Dubai Autodrome track.

Journalists experienced the 550 HP and 640 NM power of the new top coupe model accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and reaching top speed of 317 km/h. A new S-tronic 7-speed shifter replaces the previous R-tronic and is standard on all V 10 models.

Stability on the track was attained by the Quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and the axle weight distribution of 43:57 which is ideal for mid-engine sports vehicles.

The adaptive damping system, called Audi magnetic ride (standard in the R8 V10) configures the response of the shock absorbers to the requirements of the driver and the road.

The chassis of the Audi R8 V10 is decidedly tuned for dynamics. The 19-inch alloy wheels come in a variety of new designs.

The car also impressed by its carbon-fiber ceramic brakes which are light and extremely effective on the track. They come as standard with the R8 V10.

The vehicle felt competent in track maneuvers which included slalom, ABS emergency braking and laps on the track.

Although a little cramped inside for its size with narrow sports seats, visibility was good all round and control at all times was absolute.

The ultra-lightweight construction of the Audi R8 is the most important component.

The aluminum Audi Space Frame weighs just 210 kg, roughly 40 percent less than a comparable steel structure. The base price for the R8 with manual transmission is $110,254.

This is a car that would suit an enthusiast who would like to drive a street-legal car during the week and take it to the track at the weekend with no modifications required.

As far as sports cars go, the R8 V10 is an eye-catching super car with few that match its talents.

On the road

The three Audi vehicles tested on Dubai roads included the RS 7 five-door coupe which appeared for the first time in the region at the 2013 Dubai Motor Show.

This capable family car has a four-liter TFSI engine with twin-turbo providing 560 HP and 700 NM of torque.

The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 3.9 seconds.

Its top speed of 280 km/h can optionally be increased to 305 km/h with the dynamic package plus.

The 4.0 TFSI engine features numerous efficiency technologies, including the Audi cylinder on demand system (COD), which reduces consumption by around ten percent.

The standard eight-speed tiptronic gearbox has been specially matched to the sporty character of the RS 7.

The quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with sport differential gives the powerful five-door coupé a decisive advantage in traction and driving safety.

The RS 7 is noted for its best interior design among the Audi RS batch. Its COD system affords it exceptional fuel economy which makes it cleaner and more efficient than segment rivals.

However, it competes head to head with the Porsche Panamera and some believe that the Panamera offers a more composed and complete package. The RS 7 is set to arrive in regional dealerships in early 2014 and prices start at $129,294.

As for the RS 6 Avant, it offers a practical package with super performance.

It uses same engine package of the RS7 with an average fuel consumption of 9.8 liters per 1,000 km, 30 percent less than the previous model.

This is achieved by its cylinder-on-demand system, light-weight construction and the eight-speed tiptronic gearbox driving the four wheels via the Quattro system.

Although some may question the need for such power in an Avant format, the two previous models succeeded in attracting increasing numbers of motorists who found their needs in this formula.

They get all the space, quality and performance hey could wish for, but at a price.

Vehicles are available in the region now starting at $122,506.

The last of the Audi trio to be tested on UAE roads was the RS 5 Coupe.

It has incredible grip and acceleration with a 450 HP V8 4.2 FSI engine, propelling the two-door coupe to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and to a top speed of 280 km/h. It rivals the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63 AMG.

The jury is out on whether the RS5 Coupe can match fun and simplicity of the BMW M3.