Volkswagen group luxury brand Audi could be selling 1.5m cars a year before its original target date of 2015 because of continuing demand in China, the USA and Russia, the annual shareholder meeting in Ingolstadt heard on Thursday.
Deliveries in the first four months were up 11.7% at 471,300 units. “The way things look at the moment, we may be able to reach this target earlier,” chief executive Rupert Stadler told shareholders.
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Audi sold 1.3m vehicles in 2011 and has pledged to outpace the global car market again in 2012; it forecast global sales would rise 4% this year.
Stadler said Audi was targeting double-digit growth in China and the US this year and expected European deliveries to at least match last year’s levels.
Audi outsold BMW for the first time in over a year in April.
Chief financial officer Axel Strotbek said Audi might match last year’s record operating profit of EUR5.35bn (USD6.92bn) this year if economies don’t slump.
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By GlobalDataIt would introduce 18 new or updated models this year, up from 12 last year.
