05.08.2003 – 10:00

Audi AG

Sales record for Audi in the first six months
Strong growth in the rapidly expanding market of China
Profit below previous year's level

Ingolstadt (ots)

In the first six months of this year, Audi
recorded its best first-half result to date, with sales of 387,767
cars worldwide (January - June 2002: 382,478), 1.4 percent more than
in the same period last year. Revenue was up by 1.8 percent to EUR
11,449 million (11,243). Profit before tax was down by 10.6 percent
to EUR 505 million (565). Net profit totalled EUR 289 million (386).
"Despite difficult underlying conditions on key markets, Audi has
held its ground well. Now we have to gather speed in order to achieve
as good an overall result for 2003 as possible," explains Dr. Martin
Winterkorn, Chairman of AUDI AG.

Worldwide sales by the Audi Group (including the Italian trading
company Autogerma) totalled 512,644 vehicles (519,504, down 1.3
percent). Car sales by the subsidiary Lamborghini rose by 39 percent
to 239 units (172).

A total of 378,074 (363,174) cars (up 4.1 percent) and 693,217
engines (649,694, up 6.7 percent) were produced in the first six
months.

On the rapidly expanding market of China, Audi succeeded in
increasing its vehicle sales by a good 82 percent to 29,412 units
(16,110). 121,033 (126,270) Audi models were handed over to customers
in Germany (down 4.1 percent) and 168,528 (170,177, down 1.0 percent)
in Europe (excluding Germany). In Great Britain, Audi's biggest
export market in Europe, sales were up by 7.0 percent to 38,299
vehicles (35,801). Vehicle sales totalled 41,089 Audi models in the
USA (42,195, down 2.6 percent). 5,777 cars were sold in Japan (5,485,
up 5.3 percent).

The Audi Group workforce expanded by 3.1 percent to 52,348
employees (50,783, all figures as at 30 June). There were 44,761
employees (44,040) at AUDI AG, 4,888 (4,669) at AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR
Kft., 788 (789) at COSWORTH TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, 638 (565) at the
Lamborghini Group and 711 (702) employees at AUTOGERMA S.p.A.

The full Interim Report can be accessed on the Internet at:
www.audi.com/interimreport or www.audi.de/halbjahresbericht

ots Original Text: Audi AG
Internet: http://www.presseportal.de

Communication: Corporate and Finance
Jürgen De Graeve, 
Tel: +49 (0)841/89-34084, 
     +49 (0)172-9142908
e-mail:  juergen.degraeve@audi.de

Dr. Ute Röding, 
Tel: +49 (0)841/89-36384, 
     +49 (0)172-9107428
e-mail:  ute.roeding@audi.de

Original-Content von: Audi AG, übermittelt durch news aktuell