VW's Audi Confirms Sees Strong US, A8 Sales Growth

FRANKFURT -Dow Jones reported that Volkswagen AG's premium brand, Audi AG , expects to double vehicle sales in the U.S. over the next four or five years, spokesman Joachim Cordshagen said Wednesday.

Confirming German press reports based on comments by Audi chief Martin Winterkorn, Cordshagen says Audi expects to sell about 90,000 cars in the U.S. in 2002, up from 83,283 in 2001.

Growth should be driven by the new top-of-the-line A8, which will debut in the U.S. early next year.

Audi hopes to triple U.S. sales of its A8 flagship model to 6,000-7,000 vehicles a year, taking on rivals Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand.

Worldwide, Winterkorn expects A8 sales to rise about 50% to 20,000 cars a year. The outgoing A8's sales ranged between around 12,000 and 15,000 a year, Cordshagen said.

Company Web site: http://www.audi.com