Audi says it will produce 1 million cars for the first time this year and set a record for the US market.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said at the auto show here that the increase will be pushed by new vehicles, including the A4 sedan that already is on sale in Europe. The A4 goes on sale in the US starting in the autumn.
Last year, Audi sales worldwide rose to 964,000, up 6.5 percent from 2006. US sales were up 3.8 percent from 2006 for a record 93,000 units.
Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president of Audi of America, said the sales increase reflects a shift in strategy devised three years ago. Since then, Audi has launched 19 new vehicles, including variants, he said.
De Nysschen did not detail his forecast for 2008 but said that the A4 is Audi’s most significant introduction in North America because the current model represents 55 percent of the brand’s US sales.
