Audi Still Expects to Sell 1.7 Million Cars in 2014

Sep 04, 2014 02:52 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Audi expects to sell more than 1.7 million vehicles this year despite the fact that its sales momentum in some markets has slowed down, Chief Executive Rupert Stadler said to Reuters.

The Volkswagen-owned company delivered 1.01 million cars during the first seven months of the year, more than Mercedes-Benz, which sold 913,500 vehicles.

BMW finished ahead of both with 1.02 million deliveries.

"The driver of sales were the established economies, not emerging markets, with the exception of China," Stadler said at the launch of the TT coupe, according to Reuters.

Sales were disappointing in Russia for Audi, where a geopolitical crisis has rattled markets.

"For the past eight months we have had de facto no growth," Stadler said in reference to Russia.

Stadler added that Audi increased its prices there by around 5 and 6 percent to try compensating for the weakness.

Luckily sales in other places, like the U.S., helped offset weakness elsewhere, Stadler said, according to Reuters.

He expects business in Brazil and India to rebound eventually, though a recovery in those countries could take longer than previously expected.

The company still has a goal of selling 2 million vehicles a year by 2020.

Sales should increase once Audi launches the next generation of its TT Coupe, followed by a convertible option, according to Stadler.

Larger cars will also be renewed like the A5, A6, A7 and A8 limousines when it launches a new modular assembly kit, known as MLB, in 2014, according to Reuters.

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