Audi: around 1,455,100 deliveries in 2012

Ingolstadt (ots) -

- Worldwide sales climb by 11.7 percent
- Sales chief Luca de Meo: "New record highs in all regions of the
world"
- SUV models and A6 family the strongest growth drivers

A new record-breaking year for AUDI AG: In 2012 the company sold
around 1,455,100 premium automobiles worldwide, 11.7 percent more
than in the previous year. The Ingolstadt-based carmaker thus clearly
surpassed its annual target announced in summer of 1.4 million cars -
above all thanks to strong growth rates in North America and Asia.
With deliveries exceeding the previous year's figure by more than
152,000, this was Audi's second-highest jump in sales in the history
of the company. Only one year previously, in 2011, Audi had attracted
around 210,000 additional customers. With around 110,400 deliveries
(+0.8%) in December 2012, Audi reached again the strong sales total
of the excellent final month of 2011.

"In 2012, Audi achieved new record totals in every region
worldwide, including in Europe. We managed to buck the negative
market trend and continued to grow there, extending our lead as the
strongest premium brand," says Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of
Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing. "Worldwide, our new
models in particular gave us an extra lift over the past year, most
notably the very popular Audi Q3: It has helped the entire Audi SUV
family become a mainstay of our success, now accounting for
one-quarter of all deliveries for the first time."

The global rollout of the Q3 began in October 2011, so 2012 was
its first full year on market. In Europe alone, Audi handed over
around 78,700 units of its compact SUV to customers over the past
year. Another model that has been on sale since fall 2011 and has
provided a strong stimulus on the brand's home continent is the Audi
A6 Avant. Around 60 percent of A6 customers in Europe opt for the
station wagon version of the full-size model; A6 Avant sales in the
region rose by 38.9 percent to around 63,100 automobiles in 2012.
Across all models, AUDI AG sold around 739,000 cars in Europe in the
past year, thus advancing by a further 1.8 percent amid a difficult
market environment.

While base effects from the prior-year month and the forthcoming
model changeover for the Audi A3 Sportback impacted December's
delivery totals for Europe, the four rings achieved strong sales
figures over the full year especially in its three biggest European
markets: In Germany AUDI AG increased its sales by 3.6 percent to the
new high of 263,163 deliveries. This gave the company the highest
market share in its history: 8.6 percent. Over the past ten years,
the Ingolstadt-based carmaker has almost doubled its annual sales in
the UK. Business in 2012 contributed to this performance with growth
of 7.2 percent to 123,640 cars, again an all-time high. By
comparison, Audi sold 65,552 cars in the United Kingdom in 2002. Amid
a contracting market, Audi France was able to repeat the previous
year's record sales in 2012. With 62,202 deliveries (+0.3%) the four
rings confirmed their leading position in the premium segment in
France. The clearly negative economic situation led to declining
sales in Italy (-17.0% to 50,085 deliveries) and in Spain (-11.7% to
36,139 deliveries) in 2012. In both countries, however, the
registration figures for Audi managed to hold their ground much
better than the market as a whole. By contrast, Audi experienced
dynamic sales growth in Russia in 2012: 33,512 cars delivered to
Russian customers represent an increase of 44.1 percent on the
previous year - among Audi's top ten sales markets worldwide, Russia
was consequently the fastest-growing. By comparison, AUDI AG's sales
total for 2009 in Russia was 15,009 cars, less than half its current
figure.

In the United States Audi established a new sales record in every
single month of the past year and further accelerated growth from
2011: By the end of 2012 139,310 premium cars of the brand had been
shipped to the United States, 18.5 percent more than in the previous
year. Within the space of five years, Audi of America has thus
increased the four rings' customer base in the United States by
almost 50 percent (2007 deliveries: 93,506 cars). 2012 saw especially
the models in the prestigious full-size class give Audi a further
boost in the U.S. market: Combined sales of the A6, the A7 Sportback,
the Q7 and the flagship model A8 were up 39 percent. Sales of the A6
Sedan alone, the new generation of which was available at U.S.
dealers for its first full year in 2012, climbed to 18,998 units, a
rise of 73.7 percent on the prior-year total. Audi's sales
performance in the two other countries of the North American region
was similarly impressive in the past year: In Canada sales were up
18.6 percent at 20,000 automobiles, and in Mexico up 17.7 percent at
9,482.

In China Audi remained the clear premium-segment leader at the
close of 2012. With 405,838 deliveries in 2012 the Ingolstadt-based
manufacturer broke through the barrier of 400,000 cars for the first
time ever - having crossed the threshold of 300,000 units only one
year earlier. Main drivers behind the 29.6 percent growth rate were
the Changchun-built models: Despite a model changeover in March, for
the first time ever Audi sold over 130,000 of the long-wheelbase
version of the A6 Sedan in China within the space of a year (132,872
deliveries). The A6 L thus remains the top-seller in the brand's
Chinese model range and the most popular premium automobile in that
market. 93,030 of Audi's Chinese customers opted for the Q5 last
year, a significant increase of 63.8 percent on 2011. Worldwide, too,
the performance SUV was again the unchallenged leader in its segment
in 2012 with around 206,000 units delivered.

A large number of emerging growth markets likewise became
increasingly important for Audi in 2012 thanks to their high growth
rates: These include for example South Korea (+46.0% to 15,100 cars),
South Africa (+15.5% to 16,771 cars) and India, where the brand's
sales gained 63.4 percent to 9,003 units. The company's sales in
Turkey, too, put on a spurt of 17.7 percent to 14,487 units, making
it one of over 50 markets where Audi established a new sales record
last year.

|Sales for |In December |Cumulative total |
|AUDI AG | | |
| |2012 |2011 |Change |2012 |2011 |Change|
| | | |from | | |from |
| | | |2011 | | |2011 |
|World |110,400|109,556|+0.8% |1,455,100|1,302,659|+11.7%|
| | | | | | | |
|Europe |45,200 |55,988 |-19.2% |739,000 |726,318 |+1.8% |
| | | | | | | |
| - |16,913 |21,588 |-21.7% |263,163 |254,011 |+3.6% |
|Germany | | | | | | |
| - UK |4,760 |6,370 |-25.3% |123,640 |115,345 |+7.2% |
| | | | | | | |
| - France |5,193 |4,958 |+4.7% |62,202 |62,009 |+0.3% |
| - Italy |3,791 |4,770 |-20.5 |50,085 |60,353 |-17.0%|
| | | | | | | |
| - Spain |1,763 |2,733 |-35.5% |36,139 |40,905 |-11.7%|
| | | | | | | |
| - Russia |2,194 |1,771 |+23.9% |33,512 |23,250 |+44.1%|
| | | | | | | |
|USA |14,841 |12,655 |+17.3% |139,310 |117,561 |+18.5%|
| | | | | | | |
|Mexico |1,240 |1,100 |+12.7% |9,482 |8,058 |+17.7%|
| | | | | | | |
|Asia-Pacific|41,400 |33,941 |+21.9% |478,900 |373,724 |+28.1%|
| | | | | | | |
| - China |35,279 |29,436 |+19.8% |405,838 |313,036 |+29.6%|
| | | | | | | |
|(incl. | | | | | | |
|Hong Kong) | | | | | | |
| - India |931 |394 |+136.3%|9,003 |5,511 |+63.4%|
| | | | | | | |

The Audi Group delivered 1,455,100 cars of the Audi brand to
customers in 2012. From January through the end of September 2012 the
Company posted revenue of EUR 37.7 billion and an operating profit of
EUR 4.2 billion. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm
(Germany), Györ (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium).
The Audi Q7 is built in Bratislava (Slovakia). In November 2012, CKD
production of the Audi Q7 was added to the existing Audi A4, A6 and
Q5 manufacturing operations in Aurangabad (India). At the Brussels
plant, production of the Audi A1 has been running since 2010, while
production of the new A1 Sportback began in 2012. The Audi Q3 has
been built in Martorell (Spain) since June 2011. The Company is
active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG's wholly owned
subsidiaries include amongst others AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft.
(Gy?r/Hungary), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant'Agata
Bolognese/Italy), AUDI BRUSSELS S.A./N.V. (Brussels/Belgium), quattro
GmbH in Neckarsulm and the sports bike manufacturer Ducati Motor
Holding S.p.A. (Bologna/Italy). Audi currently employs more than
68,000 people worldwide, including around 50,000 in Germany. From
2012 until 2016 the brand with the four rings is planning to invest a
total of EUR 13 billion - mainly in new products and the extension of
production capacities - in order to sustain the Company's
technological lead embodied in its "Vorsprung durch Technik" claim.
Audi is currently expanding its site in Györ (Hungary) and will start
production in Foshan (China) in late 2013 and in San José Chiapa
(Mexico) from 2016.

Audi has long been fulfilling its social responsibility on many
levels - with the aim of making the future worth living for
generations to come. The basis for Audi's lasting success is
therefore formed by environmental protection, the conservation of
resources, international competitiveness and a forward-looking human
resources policy. One example of AUDI AG's commitment to
environmental issues is the Audi Environmental Foundation. Within the
context of "Vorsprung durch Technik," which extends far beyond its
products, the company is directing its activities toward a major goal
- comprehensive CO2-neutral mobility.

Picture is available at:
http://www.presseportal.de/pm/6730/audi-ag?keygroup=bild

Pressekontakt:
Corporate Communications
Moritz Drechsel
Spokesman for Sales and Marketing
Tel: +49 841 89-39914
e-mail: moritz.drechsel@audi.de
www.audi-mediaservices.com/reports