Audi raises its 2009 sales target by 5,000 units to 925,000 vehicles

Due to Audi’s sales figures worldwide developing much better than expected, it raised its 2009 sales target by 5,000 units to 925,000 vehicles, the carmaker reported earlier in the week. The surge in demand in China and its relatively low exposure to the U.S. market were cited as some of the reasons why volumes increased by 0.4 percent in October. In a statement, Audi sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer, said that Audi has benefited much from those factors. He pointed out that the Audi Q5 (sport utility vehicle) is emerging as one of its most successful models. He said that the A5 and A6 model lines are selling particularly well. Audi’s sales in China went up 50.7 percent to 14,510 in October. In the first 10 months, Audi’s China sales rose by 22.7 percent to 123,369, beating the 2008 total of 119,598. It was reported only a few days ago that Schwarzenbauer expected sales of over 920,000 vehicles this year compared to the record 1 million from 2008. Including the 82,750 cars sold in October, Audi’s global sales volume went down 6.7 percent in the first ten months to 787,900 vehicles.