Audi A6 steps up business in China
Expansion of exclusive sales network
Ingolstadt (ots)
Business is booming for Audi in China: around 3,100 units of the Audi A6 produced locally in Changchun were sold in the 1st quarter of 2000. This is equivalent to an increase of more than 60 percent compared with the first three months of the previous year.
"The Audi A6 was launched on the Chinese market very successfully in January", declared Erich Schmitt, Group representative for China and Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Purchasing. "Quality is of the same high standard offered by our German plants." Schmitt: "The A6 enjoys a unique status on the Chinese market, which gives it an outstanding starting position. The order books are consequently very full. We are planning to double sales compared with last year - and to increase our volume fourfold in the medium term."
In particular, the suspension and engine of the A6, the first premium model to be produced for the Chinese market, were adapted to Chinese needs. Its wheelbase was extended by 90 mm compared with the standard A6 saloon. This clearly increases the amount of space available to rear passengers. Four and six-cylinder engines are offered. In keeping with market requirements, the proportion of six-cylinder engines will be doubled this year compared with the previous year, and increased to more than two thirds over the next few years.
The Audi sales network is currently being expanded further in China. 37 exclusive Audi outlets alone are to be set up by the end of the year.
Audi is an international developer and manufacturer of high-quality cars. The company maintains production sites in Germany, Hungary, Brazil, China and South Africa. In 1999, Audi sold around 635,000 cars and produced more than 1.2 million engines, bringing in sales revenues in excess of DM 29.6 billion. The Audi Group has around 47,000 employees.
Communication: Corporate and Finance Joachim Cordshagen, Tel: ++49 (0) 841 89 36340 or ++49 (0) 172 910 44 68 e-mail: joachim.cordshagen@audi.de Jürgen De Graeve, Tel.: ++49 (0) 841 89 34084 or ++49 (0) 172 914 29 08 e-mail: juergen.degraeve@audi.de
Original content of: Audi AG, transmitted by news aktuell