After all, you are not selling disposable appliances or white goods that your customers can click and cart away. Beyond the cars themselves is the relationship forged between the brand and the buyer, with the emotional experience beginning at first contact.
The local car industry was abuzz in 2024 when news broke that Audi Singapore intended to handle direct sales through the standalone Audi House of Progress Singapore. This experiential brand centre was officially opened in 2025 and is located at the fringes of the CBD, bordering Chinatown.
At the time of Audi House of Progress Singapore’s opening, Audi Singapore also welcomed a new managing director, Martin Bayer — an Audi AG veteran with over 26 years' experience — who would helm the brand’s expansion in Singapore under the new sales operations.
For folks coming in from other markets, the dynamic Singapore car market is not an easy one to grapple with, as COE movements and even more dramatic regulatory/taxation changes can cause upheavals to pricing and product strategies.
From the outside, 2026 already looks like an exciting year for the brand: a new menu at the Audi House of Progress Singapore x Burnt Ends Bakery collaboration, Audi entering Formula 1 for the 2026 race season and, even more exciting to us petrolheads, a fine return to legendary Audi Sport form with the launch of the RS 5 Avant.
A year in, for both, the occasion of Audi House of Progress Singapore’s first-anniversary bash in 2026 was a good opportunity for us to catch up with Bayer to find out how things have progressed.
“Nothing really prepares you 100% for a car market like Singapore’s,” Bayer says. “It's a very unique market, but I was very lucky to have an experienced team here, which really helped a lot. I think my more than 26 years of experience in the global premium automotive segment and my personal preference for working with international teams probably made the start a bit easier. However, you ultimately still have to understand all the customers’ expectations, because every market is different.”
He adds: “Before I arrived in Singapore, I had already heard that it is a very healthy market in terms of price levels, strong purchasing power and a focus on premium segment cars. But it is also very difficult to steer. With the dynamic COE fluctuations and changing regulations, one has to be much more agile as a brand, unlike in Europe, for example, where a car’s price can last for up to half a year!”
“In Singapore, the pricing lasts for two weeks, after which you have to consider a new strategy and how to engage customers more effectively. It’s always a two-week race to create new campaigns to adapt to changing sales conditions,” Bayer wryly says.
Martin reckons that with the latest VES (Vehicular Emissions Scheme) and PARF (Preferential Additional Registration Fee) adjustments to the vehicle cost structure, the government is pushing towards lower emissions and greater sustainability, which segues neatly with Audi’s product strategy. “All the models Audi has launched recently are either BEV (Battery Electric Vehicles) or have mild-hybrid technology, because it’s very clear where the market is heading,” he tells us.
Like many European manufacturers, Audi offers a diverse powertrain portfolio across its models, rather than going all-in on BEVs. This writer feels that such a diverse range of choices underscores the engineering strength and heritage of legacy carmakers, especially in contrast to new EV entrants that have just one trick up their sleeves.
The choice between electrified and all-electric powertrains remains necessary because different markets around the world embrace electrification at different rates. Bayer explains: “If you compare Singapore’s pace of adoption of electrified vehicles to the rest of Asean, I think it's one of the fastest developments we've seen in the last few years. In other parts of the world I've been working in, like Latin America, for example, it takes longer. And because Audi is a manufacturer on a global scale, we offer both powertrain options to our customers.”
On the topic of mild-hybrids, Audi’s recent RS 5 drop (pictured above) really wowed the enthusiast community, particularly in heartstopping Avant (Audi-speak for station wagon) guise, because fast wagons have always struck a chord with this writer.
Bayer grins: “We will launch the RS 5 here in two body styles in the second half of 2026: the sedan and the Avant. It will be a very special launch for us, as it marks a fine return to Audi Sport form and ties in with Audi’s F1 activities. There’s been a lot of excitement from the fans and huge customer interest globally and we expect that such a special car like the RS 5 will also see a lot of individually configured cars.”
For those of us who have grown up following Audi’s motorsport exploits in the World Rally Championship heyday of the 1980s, today’s Audi Sport née quattro GmbH evokes many stirring memories. (pictured above is the pint-sized and very perky RS 3 Sportback)
Thus, it is with no small degree of excitement to see how Audi intends to further develop Audi Sport’s appeal with its entry into F1 as the Audi Revolut F1 Team – mind you, this is a brand that has, to date, dabbled in all the motorsports disciplines save F1 over the course of its more-than-a-century involvement in racing.
New EV entrants may be able to churn out shiny, happy products by the boatload at breakneck speed. Still, the illustrious heritage that comes with legacy auto-makers is more of a boon than baggage, and, by our reckoning, their products transcend mere appliance status.
Bayer explains: “Bringing back Audi Sport is a very big topic for us. We want to focus on our heritage, the legacy that Audi has. I think it is very important to differentiate ourselves from new brands entering the market, and there have been many of them. There is a lot of competition we have to contend with, notwithstanding any changes to government regulations. However, we are now focusing on the brand’s strengths, a young and fresh portfolio, as well as our legacy and heritage, because this is one thing you cannot build in one year. All this takes many decades and the long continuity helps to build a certain degree of trust on the customer’s end. We want to turn the spotlight on branding, brand experience and also customer engagement. On a global scale, these initiatives to boost brand awareness will be linked to Audi’s entry into F1.”
Bayer also adds: “However, we shouldn’t overlook the commercially important cars for us here in Singapore: the Q3 SUV (pictured above) and Q3 Sportback, which were unveiled at this year’s Singapore Motor Show. The Q3 is one of Audi’s bestsellers globally and we think it is well-positioned for a market like Singapore thanks to its position in the compact premium segment.”
With the Audi House of Progress Singapore turning one year old, it has evolved to ensure it remains relevant to Singapore car consumers, especially since we spend a quantum that is many times higher than our counterparts in the US, UK, and most parts of Europe.
To put it in perspective, the approximately $420,000 retail price for an RS 3 Sportback in Singapore is about the base RRP of a brand-new 911 Turbo S T-Hybrid Coupe in the US (sans premiums and options). Ultimately, this writer can’t think of anyone spending upwards of $300,000 who will be satisfied by a click-to-cart purchase arrangement and not expect an in-person transaction.
Martin agrees: “We realised that consumers in Singapore still rely very much on human interaction when it comes to the 'moment of truth', as we call the closure of the deal. Singaporeans trust their salesperson, which is why we doubled the number of our sales staff (from 8 to 16) without compromising the online shopping/browsing experience. I think the boost to the sales team numbers was very important, because the results speak for themselves — we have seen more than 24% increase over last year, so the sales volume is growing.”
Besides, the combination of being an automotive lifestyle experience space in an area far removed from the traditional car belts has several upsides. Audi House of Progress Singapore’s collaboration with Burnt Ends Bakery introduced new touchpoints for the brand, allowing it to reach a new audience.
“We have the breakfast crowd, grab-and-go coffee drinkers, as well as those who visit for lunch. All in all, it is a natural, relaxed and less transactional atmosphere that lets people come in contact with the Audi brand, and possibly even come back on the weekend with their families,” Bayer says. “With 60,000 beverages sold since we opened, it's a healthy arrangement, and if it's a mutual give-and-take, it can only be a good thing.”
Such evolution can only come about with a cohesive team. “ We changed our sales strategy, marketing and retail marketing approach. I'm very proud of my team, because we had to learn a lot (and very quickly) — it was a steep learning curve,” he tells us.
