swot analysis of audi company

1. SWOT Analysis of Audi
SWOT ANALYSIS OF AUDI
NAME : MOHAMMAD WASEEM
FATHER’S NAME : MOHAMMAD HANIF
ROLL NO : 1204136
CLASS : BS IV
DEPARTMENT : COMMERCE
SUBJECT : MARKETING
TEACHER : SIR FAROOQ KHATRI
TOPIC : SWOT ANALYSIS
DATE : 22ND
OCT, 2013

2. SWOT Analysis of Audi
SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in a
project or business venture.
INTRODUCTION
Audi began in Germany in 1932. It was formed from the merger of four different
carmakers. In 1969 Volkswagen acquired the business. In 2008 Audi delivered
more than 1 million cars to customers today the business goes from strength to
strength and manufacturers in many parts of the world, including India. This is a
manufacturer of very high quality cars which tend to be highly engineered,
robust and priced at a premium level.
Audi cars are famous not only for its impeccable sophistication design and style
but also for its hard found creative and innovative ideas. This car brand
produces cars with its unique capability to display style, luxury and comfort all
together. The Audi car company comes out with a new model or reviewed
model from time to time to keep track with the latest technologies and trends. It
keeps tracks with the needs of the people and then designs the vehicle keeping
in mind the different requirements of the people.

3. SWOT Analysis of Audi
STRENGTHS
Audi's reputation is undoubtedly based upon a very strong brand. In fact the
four rings of Audi is one of the most identifiable logos and images globally.
The brand is very innovative and the range is continually developed and
extended.
Being a German technology product, obviously Audi has a reputation for
operations management and its production approaches. The company
manufactures in excess of 1 million autos a year. Interestingly, more than
1000 of these cars are Lamborghinis, Audi's premium super car brand. The
company manufactures cars in the German cities of Ingested and
Neckarsulm. Audi is also renowned for technology, creativity and innovation.
The business invests almost $3 billion every year in research and
development for its new products. Historically, the company's innovations
are quite impressive - for example, Audi Quattro’s four-wheel-drive
technology. New innovations include light emitting diode headlights (you
may have seen them on the highway) and also Multimedia Interface (MMI),
which is a mash up of entertainment technology, navigation technology, and
communication technology - including telephones as well as other
innovations, which also improve passenger safety.
1. Available in both petrol and diesel variants with a huge product portfolio
2. Wide range to cars to choose from starting from Hatchback to Luxury SUVs
3. Equipped with superior features like parking sensors, LED illuminated interiors,
Air bags, traction control and much more
4. Elegant styling of both interiors & exteriors
5. Latest technology like Quattro and FSI provide refined and efficient engine
performance
6. Well established brand which helps in the brand recall
7. Has approximately 50,000 employees worldwide
8. The brand has actively been involved in motor sport and sponsorship of many
sporting and premium events

4. SWOT Analysis of Audi
WEAKNESSES
One interesting problem for the business is that whilst it is a very large
vehicle manufacturer, it doesn't operate on the same huge scale as some of
its close competitors, including Ford and Toyota. A simple revenue analysis
based upon units produced shows that its competitors can make equivalent
vehicles more cheaply, simply because of economies of scale. That is to say
relative unit costs are higher. Audi's are German and its brand is associated
with its national identity. Whilst in some ways this is strength, others might
view this as a particular issue. The brand is very dependent upon its
European markets. It is relatively small in North America. Some of the
sustained sales in Europe have to be due to environmental initiatives and
incentives offered by European governments, and this won’t go on forever.
The European market might also go into decline, simply because of the debt
being experienced by large markets such as the Greece, Ireland and
Spain.In common with some of its competitors including Toyota, Audi has
also had to endure the embarrassment of product recalls. Especially for a
brand which encompasses security and safety, this could potentially be
damaging. In North America, there have been problems with gearboxes
(transmissions) . Similar problems occurred in the South Korean market.
1. High maintenance & handling cost
2. Limited presence in emerging markets where some other brands have taken over
the market

5. SWOT Analysis of Audi
OPPORTUNITIES
Without a doubt the new emerging markets of China and India are huge
opportunities for Audi. New car sales are growing in both countries as
consumers are getting wealthier and more discerning, they need status
brands such as Audi. By 2015, the Indian car market is going to be huge,
with estimated sales reaching more than $40 billion. In China figures
indicate that sales will be in excess of 250,000 million vehicles in a similar
period of time. Audi with its innovative history is obviously investing heavily
in vehicles which are low emission and will be targeted at the greener car
market. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) will become very popular in the
large countries of the United States and China, whereby petrol stations will
become slowly replaced by plug-in stations. So obviously the growth of
environmentalism and the nature of global warming mean that consumers
are calling for low emissions alternatives.
Hopefully in the coming years, the global car market will begin to recover
and car sales and production will increase. There are a number of drivers.
Government programs which offer incentives to consumers to ditch their old
gas guzzler to replace it with a modern hybrid car for example, mean an
increase in sales. The problems associated with raising credit in Western
nations will hopefully disappear and consumers will begin to take loans to
finance their vehicle again. Audi has become a leaner business by increasing
its profit per vehicle and reducing its inventory.
1. Expanding automobile market and available space
2. Opportunity to leverage brand recall and acquire newer customers
3. Expansion of product portfolio by entering into low cost cars
4. Increasing manufacturing capability to meet increasing demand generated
through advertising

6. SWOT Analysis of Audi
THREATS
Like any business which operates in a global economic environment, Audi
has to deal with local business environments. For example, regulations by
local governments in relation to emissions or safety, or even strategic
alliances with local companies in order to enter a market, such as China. All
please add to the bottom line and reduce margins potentially. Trading in a
global market means that the business is essentially exposed to commodity
price fluctuations. Steel prices have been on a helter-skelter. Commodity
prices vary, and it makes it difficult for Audi to keep costs steady. In the car
industry, generally, the largest threat relates to the nature and level of
competition in what is a mature industry. There are a number of similar
brands including BMW and Mercedes. Car production globally tends to move
where the high dependence on labor cannot impact its cost base, so over
years to come more manufacturing will move to India and China, where
costs of labor are lower. The German worker is comparatively expensive.
1. Increasing fuel costs
2. Competition from other big automobile giants
3. Product innovations and frugal engineering by competitors
4. Limitations due to government policies in entering foreign markets

7. SWOT Analysis of Audi
THREATS
Like any business which operates in a global economic environment, Audi
has to deal with local business environments. For example, regulations by
local governments in relation to emissions or safety, or even strategic
alliances with local companies in order to enter a market, such as China. All
please add to the bottom line and reduce margins potentially. Trading in a
global market means that the business is essentially exposed to commodity
price fluctuations. Steel prices have been on a helter-skelter. Commodity
prices vary, and it makes it difficult for Audi to keep costs steady. In the car
industry, generally, the largest threat relates to the nature and level of
competition in what is a mature industry. There are a number of similar
brands including BMW and Mercedes. Car production globally tends to move
where the high dependence on labor cannot impact its cost base, so over
years to come more manufacturing will move to India and China, where
costs of labor are lower. The German worker is comparatively expensive.
1. Increasing fuel costs
2. Competition from other big automobile giants
3. Product innovations and frugal engineering by competitors
4. Limitations due to government policies in entering foreign markets