Audi News: Audi A3 Outselling The Mercedes-Benz CLA In The First Three Months

[William Maley]

Audi appears to have a hit on their hands with the new A3. Bloomberg reports that in the first three months of sale, the A3 has outsold the Mercedes-Benz CLA by a rate of 2 to 1. In June, Audi move 2,452 A3s, while Mercedes-Benz moved only 1,658 CLAs. Year-to-date sales, the CLA holds an 2,841 unit advantage over the A3, mostly due to model going on sale a bit earlier than the A3.

“CLA was the only game in town for a while, and now there’s something to compare it to. If you read some of the comparison tests, the A3 is coming out on top by a long stretch,” said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at AutoTrader.com.

So why is the A3 doing much better than the CLA? Some of it might come down to generational traits. Research from Autotrader shows that Millennials consider Audi as the brand that best reflects their personality. Mercedes-Benz ranks third.

Source: Bloomberg

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

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[A Horse With No Name]

Audi is hot right now.

[Drew Dowdell]

All these faux luxury cars from the Germans.... about as convincing as a "Louis Vuitton" bag from a street vendor.

 

I was thoroughly unimpressed with the A3 when I drove it.   Buy a loaded Jetta GLI and save yourself $8k - $10k... or buy an absolutely loaded Verano Turbo and get a better interior, more power, better ride, less noise, and more amenities.

[William Maley]

All these faux luxury cars from the Germans.... about as convincing as a "Louis Vuitton" bag from a street vendor.

 

I was thoroughly unimpressed with the A3 when I drove it.   Buy a loaded Jetta GLI and save yourself $8k - $10k

 

I don't know about that.. Rather have the A3 than the CLA I drove at MAMA Spring Rally.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'd rather have neither.  If I can't afford the minimum payments for a real Benz, well, then I just need to work harder till I can.

[David]

PASS on both, A3 and CLA are garbage auto's with much superior options out there. These auto's are selling to badge snobs who really only care about their superficial face than a real quality auto.

[smk4565]

I haven't driven a CLA, sat it one at the auto show and wasn't impressed.  The Mercedes build quality is there in that everything fits together tightly, but the materials aren't what you'd expect in a Benz.  The A3 sells because younger people like Audi's and people trading in their Jetta probably like the A3.  Mercedes buyers want an E-class with tank like feel and legendary ride quality.  The CLA doesn't seem to be competing or taking sales from other Mercedes though, so if nothing else, the CLA kept another 1600 people a month from buying an A3 or Acura ILX.

[pow]

I test drove the A3 and found it was excellent. Reminded me of the B5 A4s from the late-90s: compact, fun-to-drive, with a feeling of quality and solidity. Very well-equipped for the money, too, with standard leather, panoramic sunroof, and xenon headlights for $30K. That said, I'd rather have the hatchback versatility of the GTI. 

[regfootball]

a young sub 30 coworker just bought an off lease (personal relation) A4.  Seems even otherwise would have likely got an Audi anyways.  Audi has some magical appeal to certain groups.  VW's downward path may have the effect of pumping up Audi as much as anything sometimes i think.

[A Horse With No Name]

All these faux luxury cars from the Germans.... about as convincing as a "Louis Vuitton" bag from a street vendor.

 

I was thoroughly unimpressed with the A3 when I drove it.   Buy a loaded Jetta GLI and save yourself $8k - $10k... or buy an absolutely loaded Verano Turbo and get a better interior, more power, better ride, less noise, and more amenities.

 

 

From the vW fanboi on our forum...QUOTED FOR TRUTH!