Audi China Sep sales up 37% to 15,000 cars

Shanghai, October 9 (Gasgoo.com) Audi AG saw its sales in China increase 37% year-on-year in September, achieving a monthly high ever in the country, the German automaker said earlier this week.

Audi, a premium car division of Volkswagen AG, said it sold more than 15,000 cars in China last month. In the January-September period, the company sold 108,859 cars in the Chinese market, including Hong Kong, a 20% increase from a year earlier.

China sales of the A4 sedan were up 53% in September, while sales of the A6 sedan were up 16%, the company said. Audi is now on track for a record year, said sales and marketing official Peter Schwarzenbauer.

The record monthly sales helped Audi easily crack the 100,000-mark through September, increasing volumes by a fifth so far this year. Audi expected to sell 136,000 cars in China this year compared with 119,600 in 2008.

The company is increasing its production capacity at its Changchun plant and plans to expand its dealer and service network in China to include over 200 locations by 2015, from the current 139 dealerships in 88 cities.

Audi ranks third behind BMW and Mercedes-Benz in global sales, but is keeping a firm grip on the top position in China, partly thanks to the early market entry by parent VW.