The dealers of Audi AG in the United Kingdom are pleased to announce their new-found profitability rate. Recently, the dealers divulged that new car profits have surged 100 percent in a year.

Audi dealers in the UK have seen profitability on new car sales soar 100 percent in the last 12 months, according to Jeremy Hicks, the brand’s UK director. He claimed margins were running at 2.3 percent and had "doubled in pound note terms".

The German automaker promised it will continue to build upon the record 100,000 new car sales it achieved in the previous year. "We’ll do more this year," noted Hicks.

Hicks said that last year’s 15,000 hike in registrations equaled the total sales of some of the brand’s prestige competitors. In 2007, Lexus sold 15,119 vehicles. Jaguar, meanwhile, reported fewer than 19,000 cars, according to the SMMT.

With an order bank of 30,000, Hicks said: "We’re desperate to get hold of the cars." He said that the maker of quality Audi parts had not yet felt any fall in demand due to the struggling economy and pointed to 12 percent sales growth in January.

"Customers were increasingly ordering cars to their own specifications and so were prepared to wait three months for delivery," he admitted. Any longer and the situation would become "difficult," he added.

Hicks stressed that Audi had undertaken a major overhaul of its 119-strong network to increase showroom, workshop and used car capacities. The German automaker is making things happen through its Site Acquisition Programme, which is designed to help dealers expand their reach.

According to Motor Trader, Audi sources and builds premises for its franchise partners which then run the sites on a leasehold basis. Hicks said 19 enlarged sites were currently under construction, including centres in Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leicester, Liverpool and Nottingham. The West London centre, poised to become Audi’s biggest dealership around the globe, is scheduled to open before the end of 2008 and will be managed by Sytner.

Hicks said that dealers had also "willingly invested" to expand their businesses. Over the last three years, average showroom capacity had grown from eight to 15 cars while workshops now had 20 ramps compared to five, he added.

To keep auto shoppers within Audi’s reach, the luxury brand intends to promote a clear policy on 2008 standards and costs in servicing. "The retention of first and second owners is our focus," Hicks concluded.