Audi longs to join compact-luxury sedan in U.S., but feels brand isn’t ready yet

Audi executives have been playing the on-and-off again game with the Audi A1 compact car for quite some time now. Back in October 2008, Audi’s sales and marketing boss, Peter Schwarzenbauer, said that the automaker is reconsidering the A1 for the United States.

Now, Schwarzenbauer told Automotive News at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show that while Audi longs to compete with Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the compact luxury segment, the brand isn’t strong enough as of right now to support a car such as the A1 on the stateside.

Schwarzenbauer also ruled out the possibility of other small cars that may be similar to Mercedes-Benz’s Smart ForTwo or BMW’s Mini Cooper models.

He said that Audi is very focused on building its brand awareness in the U.S. and until that takes a firm hold, Audi won’t be doing small cars in the North American market. The Audi A1 will go on sale in Europe in 2010.

Audi A1 Sportback concept:

– By: The Daily Auto Editor