Audi to hit China sales target two years early

Volkswagen's premium division Audi expects to reach its unit sales target for China two years earlier than previously planned, Audi's head of sales told German industry publication Automobilwoche.

"In 2013, we aim to sell about 200,000 cars in China,"Peter Schwarzenbauer was quoted Saturday as saying.

Previously, the company had planned to reach that target in 2015, the report said, adding that Audi expected to sell 136,000 cars in China this year compared with 119,600 in 2008.

In the US, Audi is aiming to sell 80,000 new vehicles this year and plans to double that number by 2015, Schwarzenbauer was quoted as saying.

Separately, Bild newspaper reported, citing no sources, that Audi is mulling investing about 100 million euros ($147 million) for a 10 percent stake in German soccer club Bayern Munich.

Bild quoted a company spokeswoman as saying that the report is "speculation."She added, "There are always considerations on how the close cooperation can be revived in a new way."

And also separately, VW is expected to take a stake in Japan's Suzuki Motor by the end of 2009, Automobilwoche reported, citing an unnamed Suzuki executive.

"For Suzuki and VW this connection would be a win-win situation. Suzuki would have access to a variety of VW's technology, while Volkswagen would have a solid supporting leg in India and Southeast Asia,"the publication quoted the executive as saying on the sidelines of this year's Frankfurt auto show. 

Reuters