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Group Interim Report of AUDI AG

Group Interim Report of AUDI AG
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Ingolstadt (ots)

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Rise in vehicle sales
Audi is defying the trend. Despite the general shrinking of the
car market in Europe and the USA, the markets on which Audi
substantially depends, in the first half of 2001 the group was once
again able to increase its vehicle sales worldwide by 7.0 percent on
the corresponding prior-year period, to 523,261 vehicles. This figure
includes 368,838 (345,071) Audi cars, 162 (137) Lamborghini sports
cars and 154,261 (143,954) vehicles of the Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen
Commercial Vehicle and Volkswagen Passenger Car brands that were
distributed via the Italian importer AUTOGERMA S.p.A.
In Europe excluding Germany, a growth rate of 5.9 percent was
achieved, taking the total to 156,999 Audi cars. In Germany, 129,660
customers took receipt of their new Audi; this re-presents an
increase of 3.6 percent. The largest European export market was Great
Britain, followed by Italy, Spain and France.
Audi was able to build on the previous year's record total in the
USA in the period under review: in selling 43,300 cars sporting the
four-ring emblem, it improved on the prior-year figure by a
considerable margin.
Japan suffered from persisting economic weakness which likewise
affected the car sector. Audi achieved unit sales of 3,196 cars, as
against 3,576 vehicles in the corresponding period of 2000.
Audi has consolidated its position as market leader in the premium
class in China. The Changchun-built Audi A6, which was specially
modified for the requirements of the Chinese market, has increased
vehicle sales by almost 80 percent.
Major markets     Unit sales     % change on
                         1-6/2001        1-6/2000
   Audi cars      
   worldwide              368,838          6.9
   Germany                129,660          3.6
   USA                     43,300          7.3
   Great Britain           27,971         20.5
   Italy                   23,780          7.6
   Spain                   22,514          0.2
   France                  20,817          8.7
   China                   14,982         79.0
   Belgium                 10,802         -1.2
   Switzerland              9,770          4.3
   Austria                  8,928          5.3
   Brazil                   6,060         42.9
   Netherlands              5,968        -15.9
   Sweden                   5,446        -20.0
   Portugal                 3,757         13.6
   South Africa             3,224         -3.7
   Japan                    3,196        -10.6
Lamborghini      
   worldwide                  162         18.2
Vehicle production up
Thanks to high demand, Audi was also able to step up production by
13.5 percent in the first six months of the year, to 371,572 cars.
This total was made up of 371,408 (327,167) bearing the Audi badge
and 164 (134) sporting the Lamborghini bull emblem.
In Ingolstadt, Audi built 213,380 A3 and A4 models. 132,884 cars
left the assembly lines in Neckarsulm, where the Audi A8, Audi A6,
Audi allroad quattro and Audi A2 are - and the RS 4 until July 2001
was - built. The Györ plant in Hungary built 21,658 of the Audi TT
Coupé and Audi TT Roadster jointly with the Ingolstadt plant. It in
addition produced 3,423 of the Audi A3 on behalf of AUDI AG. The
sports car specialists in Sant'Agata Bolognese (Italy) built 164 of
the Lamborghini Diablo.
Models with permanent four-wheel drive continue to be much in
demand: 29.0 percent of all Audi vehicles built in the first half of
2001 were equipped with four-wheel drive. The proportion of TDI
engine versions continued to rise, reaching 43.4 percent.
Production output of engines fell slightly by 2.4 percent to
616,336 units as a result of reorganisation within the Volkswagen
Group. The complete transfer of all engine production activities from
Ingolstadt to Györ boosted the production figures at AUDI HUNGARIA
MOTOR Kft. by 12.7 percent, to 611,850 units. Engine production at
COSWORTH TECHNOLOGY LIMITED more than doubled in the first half of
the year, to 4,322 engines. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
manufactured 164 (134) engines for sports cars.
Higher sales and earnings
The Audi Group recorded sales of EUR 11,427 million in the first
half of the year. This represents a 14.5 percent increase on the
prior-year figure of EUR 9,979 million.
Earnings before taxes improved yet again; compared with the figure
of EUR 388 at the end of June 2000, the total of EUR 463 million on
June 30, 2001 represented a rise of 19.3 percent.
Total capital investments of EUR 605 million in the first half of
the year were slightly down on the high figure for the corresponding
period of 2000.
Growing group workforce
As a result of extended business operations and the launching of
new products, the total number of employees within the Audi Group was
up 4.3 percent on the figure for June 30, 2000, to 51,130 employees.
Of this total, 44,415 were employed by AUDI AG, 4,809 by AUDI
HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. and 748 by COSWORTH TECHNOLOGY LIMITED. The
Lamborghini Group had 477, and AUTOGERMA S.p.A. 665 employees.
Key Figures
   Audi Group            
                 1-6/2001   1-6/2000 1)   Change in %
   Production   
          Cars    371,572      327,301       13.5
          Engines 616,336      631,197       -2.4
   Vehicle sales
   Cars           523,261      489,162        7.0
      Audi        368,838      345,071        6.9
         Europe   286,659      273,436        4.8
           of which Germany
                  129,660      125,122        3.6
   Rest of world   82,179       71,635       14.7
   Lamborghini        162          137       18.2
   Other Volkswagen 
   Group brands   154,261      143,954        7.2
   Sales revenues 
      EUR million  11,427        9,979       14.5
   Earnings before taxes  
      EUR million     463          388       19.3
   Sales return before taxes
      %               4.1          3.9          -
   Capital investments   
      EUR million     605          699      -13.4
   Depreciation
      EUR million     639          637        0.3
   Cash flow  
      EUR million    1,021         803       27.1
   Employees  
      Average       51,170      48,517        5.5
1) Figures for the first half of 2000 have been adjusted to
reflect the current reporting entity.
Note to editorial staff: 
   * The complete Interim Report can be requested by phoning ++49 (0)
841/89-36189.
The Interim Report can also be found on the Internet at
www.audi.com, sub-menu "facts".
Communication: Corporate and Finance
Joachim Cordshagen, Tel: ++49 (0) 841 89 36340, Fax: ++49 841 89
36370
e-mail:  joachim.cordshagen@audi.de
Jürgen De Graeve, Tel: ++49 (0) 841 89 34084 
e-mail:  juergen.degraeve@audi.de

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