Audi predicts 1 million global sales in 2008

DETROIT -- Audi AG says it will break the 1 million mark in global sales for the first time this year and set a new record for the U.S. market.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler says the increase will be fueled by new vehicles, including the A4 compact sedan which is already on sale in Europe. The A4 goes on sale in the United States this fall.

Last year, Audi sales worldwide increased to 964,200, up 6.5 percent from 2006 sales. U.S. sales were up 3.8 percent compared with 2006 for a record 93,506 units.

Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president and head of Audi of America, says the sales increase reflects a shift in strategy worked out three years ago. Since then, Audi has launched 19 new vehicles, including variants, he said.

De Nysschen did not detail his forecast for 2008 but said that the A4 is Audi's most significant introduction because the current model represents 55 percent of the brand's sales in the United States.