Audi sells 16 percent more cars

The Audi Group increased vehicle sales by 16 percent year-on-year in the first nine months of the year. A total of 1.405 million Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley vehicles were sold. In Europe and the USA, sales of the core brand rose by a good quarter in each case, and in China by five percent. Group sales increased by 13 percent to 50.4 billion euros. Profits were lower at 4.6 billion euros (prior-year period: 6.25 billion euros). The decline was largely due to negative effects from raw material hedges, the company said. (aum)