Audi Unveils Australian Flagship

SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 21, 2009 -- Audi Australia Pty Ltd (Audi) officially opened its AU$50 million 'Lighthouse' brand terminal on South Dowling Street in Sydney, on Thursday 20 August 2009.

Clearly demonstrating its confidence in the Australian market, German luxury carmaker, Audi, says the development of this flagship facility – the largest of its kind in the world - was embraced by the company’s global Board of Directors.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, responsible for global sales and marketing, officially opened the facility with Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann, at the event on 20 August 2009.

“The Audi Lighthouse terminal development in Sydney is part of a major investment campaign by AUDI AG. We will expand our product range to 40 models by 2015 on our course to become the most successful premium brand worldwide,” Mr Schwarzenbauer said.

“We’ve got the right products in the pipeline for our ambitious growth plans and now we are setting the course in sales and marketing. The Audi sales organisation will invest 6 billion euros in our effort to increase sales by 50 percent globally in the next six years. Part of this is investment in new architecture for the brand.”

Audi Australia’s Joerg Hofmann says the facility will be a beacon for the brand in Australia.

“With 45 million cars per year passing the site, this impressive facility will quite literally be a lighthouse between the CBD and the airport. With 100 metres of street frontage on this busy arterial road, no-one will miss this extraordinary brand statement. It will raise awareness of Audi to a completely new level in Australia,” Mr Hofmann said.

“The investment in Australia by our parent company, AUDI AG, is representative of our outstanding achievements and is a clear message of support for our successful year-on-year record growth.”

“Significantly, it also demonstrates the company’s long term commitment to this country and our confidence that our brand will continue to grow in this economic climate,” Mr Hofmann added.

The eight-level, 16000+ square metre facility located at Victoria Park was designed by Audi’s master architect, Allmann Sattler Wappner and interpreted for Australia by the renowned Johnson Pilton Walker.

It incorporates a flagship retail showroom for new and Audi Approved pre-owned vehicles, customer facilities including a children’s play area, lifestyle shop, business centre, the Audi Café Bavaria and an aftersales centre. The building is also home to the head office of Audi Australia and will be used as a brand forum for events and new product launches.

The Audi retail and after-sales facility, a subsidiary of Audi Australia Pty Ltd, will trade as “Audi Centre Sydney” and will champion benchmark processes, profitability, Corporate Identity, CSI and operational standards. The facility will include space for more than 25 new cars, 70 pre-owned vehicles and 20 productive service bays.

“A key part of Audi’s strategic growth plan in Australia requires investment by the dealer network in facility upgrades, preparing the brand to reach 15,000 unit sales in the year 2015 at the latest, and to deliver best-in-class customer satisfaction,” said Audi Australia’s Joerg Hofmann.

“The total investment in new and upgraded facilities committed by our dealer partners in Australia will equal $150 million by 2010. We also saw the need for our own investment in the brand – the Lighthouse - to ensure the infrastructure was right for our planned long term growth,” said Hofmann.

AUDI AG’s Peter Schwarzenbauer says the most visible sign of the company’s ambitious growth plan is the continued investment in new product development and the quality of the Audi dealer network – which includes the visionary architecture of the new Audi brand terminal with it’s multi-level design that is ideal for high-density locations.

“For us, it is about bringing our brand to our customers with trend-setting dealerships that focus on people. This new Audi Lighthouse terminal in Sydney is not only the largest yet to be built, it is also a great statement for the brand in Australia,” Mr Schwarzenbauer said.

Audi purchased the Lighthouse site in October 2007. The Development Application was approved in June 2008, with construction commencing in August 2008. The facility began trading on 1 August 2009.