With an operating profit of €1.4 billion in the first quarter, the Ingolstadt-based carmaker also posted a 26.6 percent improvement on the prior-year period.
Great satisfaction
During the 123rd Annual General Meeting of Audi AG, which took place Thursday in Ingolstadt, Chairman of the Board of Management Rupert Stadler expressed great satisfaction with the Company’s growth during the first months of the current fiscal year: “By the end of April we had already delivered more than 471,000 cars, and thus achieved strong growth worldwide.”
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Stadler also addressed the key financial figures: With a 17.8 percent increase in revenue to €12.4 billion and a record operating profit of €1.4 billion as well as a resulting return on sales of 11.4 percent, the Company has again shown its strength in the worldwide automotive business in the first quarter.
New production site in Mexico
In order to maintain this fast pace in the future, the Supervisory Board and Board of Management of AUDI AG decided a few weeks ago to establish a new production site in Mexico. Axel Strotbek underscored how important the process of increasing the brand’s international presence is: “The decision in favor of a new plant in Mexico strengthens the international competitiveness of our Company.” Production of the Audi Q5 for the worldwide market will begin there in 2016.
Expanding global production network
But Audi is not only expanding its global production network in Mexico. Two new plants will begin operating as early as 2013. In Hungary, the Company is currently expanding its site in Győr into a full automotive plant, where a new member of the A3 family will be produced.
In China, Audi wants to begin production with its joint venture partner FAW at a second site in the south of the country. In addition to the existing plant in Changchun, cars with the four-ring logo will begin rolling off the assembly lines in the city of Foshan next year.
2,000 new jobs in Germany
For the planned model initiative and the development of new technologies, Audi is also significantly increasing the size of its workforce. The Company will hire around 2,000 experts in Germany during this year alone – 800 more than originally planned.
