Review of 2000: "Audi Group grows successfully"
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http://recherche.newsaktuell.de/galerie.htx?type=obs* Record sales revenues and vehicle sales * Capital investments increase to around DM 4 billion * Production and workforce at the highest level
"We were able to continue our growth strategy successfully in the year 2000", declared Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, today in an initial comprehensive review of the past financial year. Audi has increased its sales revenues once again and set another new record for vehicle sales to customers.
The Audi Group's sales revenues went up again to a total of DM 39.0 billion for the financial year 2000 (1999: DM 29.6 billion). This figure includes the Italian importer AUTOGERMA S.p.A. for the first time. The brands which make up the Volkswagen Group are sold through Autogerma. If this company is excluded from the results, sales revenues comparable with the previous year increased by 8.4 percent to DM 32.1 billion.
Capital investments last year rose by around DM 1 billion to a total of DM 4 billion (1999: DM 2.966 billion). This increase is due in particular to the purchase of Autogerma. The focus once again was on product investments.
653,404 Audi vehicles were delivered to customers worldwide. This is 2.9 percent more than in the previous year. In addition to this Audi sold 296 Lamborghini sports cars (up 11.7 percent). Together with the other VW Group brands sold through Autogerma, the Audi Group sold a total of 919,621 vehicles.
In the USA, the most important export market, Audi achieved the best sales result in its company history, with 80,372 Audi vehicles sold to customers (up 21.9 percent). Audi managed to hold its own in Germany, despite a marked decline in the automotive market and the changeover to the new A4, Audi's high-volume model. Vehicle sales here totalled 239,644 units (down 7.0 percent). Audi was able to increase its market share in 2000 to 6.9 percent (6.8 percent in the previous year), the highest Audi market share in Germany since 1987. 269,024 Audi cars were sold in Europe (excluding Germany) (up 0.1 percent). The number of Audi models sold in Japan climbed by 8.4 percent to 6,972 units. 57,392 cars were delivered to customers in other markets (up 60.1 percent). This figure includes 17,451 vehicles sold in China (up 152.5 percent).
Production of vehicles in the Audi Group rose in 2000 by 4.0 percent to 650,850 units, including 291 Lamborghini Diablo models. The highest volume model was the Audi A4 which accounted for 227,028 units, followed by the Audi A6 with 169,276 units, the Audi A3 with 136,141, the Audi TT with 56,776, the Audi A2 with 32.164, the Audi A8 with 12,894 and the Audi allroad quattro with 11,439 units. A total of 1,187,666 engines were produced (down 6.3 percent).
The number of employees in the Audi Group had increased by the end of the year by 3,977 to 50,535 employees (up 8.5 percent) worldwide and by 2,722 to 43,862 employees (up 6.6 percent) at AUDI AG (German plants). Audi Hungaria employed a workforce of 4,831, Lamborghini 440, Autogerma 624 and Cosworth Technology 764. The Audi Group thus had more employees than ever before in the company's history.
"Our goal for this year is quantitative and qualitative growth", commented Paefgen. "Our sound basis will allow us to make extensive provisions for the future." This is reflected above all in new, innovative products such as the Audi A8 6.0 L quattro with twelve-cylinder engine and the evolved Audi A2 with a fuel consumption of just 3 l/100 km. Both vehicles will be launched on the market in the next few months.
The medium-term investment plan earmarks total funds of a record DM 17 billion up to 2005. "This includes many new profit-making opportunities for Audi in the long term and a further strengthening of the company's competitiveness on the world market", explained the Chairman of AUDI AG Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen.
Notes to editorial staff: * A photo from production of the new Audi A4 is also available through "obs" (dpa). * AUDI AG will hold its Annual Press Conference in Munich on 20 March.
Communication: Corporate and Finance Joachim Cordshagen, Tel: ++49 841 89 36340 e-mail: joachim.cordshagen@audi.de Communication: Corporate and Finance (International) Jürgen De Graeve, Tel: ++49 841 89 34084 e-mail: juergen.degraeve@audi.de
Original content of: Audi AG, transmitted by news aktuell