Best doesn't mean number one, says Audi

Audi will be the best luxury brand Down Under, if the man heading up the Ingolstadt marque’s Australian operation has his way.

Three months into his tenure at Audi Australia, new MD Paul Sansom says his brand will strive to be the best via a strategy of sustainable growth and customer satisfaction.

In his first formal meeting with local automotive media last week, the English-born ex-Audi South Africa boss stressed Audi Australia would not measure its success by simply topping the sales charts.

“While sales is and always will be an extremely important measure, it's not the most important,” Sansom stated.

“I don't believe that our customers actually care who's number one. I think they care about how they feel they’re treated by our brand and that's what I mean by being the best,” the new boss told motoring.com.au.

Audi is number three in the Aussie luxury market. Mercedes-Benz is a clear number one followed by BMW. In recent years, the gap between BMW and Audi has narrowed -- although the former is still more than 25 per cent ahead year to date July, according VFACTS industry stats.

Sansom began his career in the UK banking sector before moving to the automotive sphere with Jaguar. Having led Audi UK’s customer relationship team, he’s a firm believer that customer satisfaction is an area in which Audi, and the auto industry in general, could improve.

“When we're selling cars, we need to be able to deliver the sort of experience our brand promises our customer… The things that matter to our customers are the premium touch points. [They are] the things that make Audi different,” Sansom said.

The new Audi boss told motoring.com.au that in his first three months of ‘due diligence’ he discovered there were opportunities in Audi’s operations in terms of identity and customer experience. He says these are areas where the company can surpass its direct competitors

“I think it's important that we deliver a clearer message to the Australian consumer [about] exactly who we are, and that will be something that they can relate to.

“We need to be sure we're doing the best job in telling our Audi story, something that, again, I think there's opportunities to do better.

“We'll ensure that we grow our volume in the context of creating greater demand… I want to ensure that we're truly a premium brand, a progressive brand that's engaged in our dealer network in a true partnership style, and delivering the very best customer experience in the Australian market,” he explained.

Sansom says Audi will seek to reinforce its position via three pillars: brand image, product and pricing strategy, and the ownership experience.

In terms of product, Sansom says Audi Australia will work to simplify its offers in the marketplace. But he stressed this would not by achieved by dropping model lines, but by rationalising powertrain offerings and option packaging. Sansom stated customer data was already driving planning for these changes.

His key focus is winning the hearts of owners, however – whether they be buyers of $30,000 A1s or $400,000 R8s.

“Clearly we have to concentrate hard on the buying experience, the aftermarket experience, giving a bit of investment convenience and the very best in terms of customer experience at every single touch point for our consumers.

“If we get all of those three building blocks right, then we're going to keep building loyalty… [And] That's critical for a brand that's been growing so quickly in recent years.

“We've spent a lot of time, effort and money on those customers. We need to keep them in our brand,” he stated.

Sansom replaces Andrew Doyle, who is now Audi UK chief, and will be supported by Brad Cramb, a 20-year Toyota Australia executive who was announced as Audi Australia’s new sales director in June.