Audi Still in Play to Achieve 2009 Sales Goal

Audi's sales are going well in global markets so the German brand is still on track to achieve the 900,000-unit sales goal announced in January. Audi sold a total of 705,300 cars worldwide in the first nine months of the year, a decrease of 7.5 percent compared to the same period of the last year.

“Our unit sales developed better than expected during the first three quarters of the year,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at Audi AG. “In the United States we’ve consolidated our position, and in China we’ve reasserted our leadership. And the current figures confirm our position as Europe’s leading premium brand. We have been able to significantly strengthen our brand during these months.”

Sales in China, which is referred to as the company's "second domestic market", increase by 19.7 percent in January - September compared to 2008. In September 15,249 customers bought an Audi in the country – a year-on-year increase of 36.5 percent.

The company performed well in the United States as well, with the company delivering 7,209 units in September, a decrease of 4.9 percent compared to the same month of 2008. "Due to these comparatively good results, the Ingolstadt carmaker was able to significantly expand its market share: During the first nine months its share in the premium market grew by 1.6 percentage points to 8.3 percent," Audi said in a release.

Audi's domestic market brought sales of 167,422 vehicles, down 10.2 percent compared to September 2008 when the company sold a total of 186,464 units.