German carmaker Audi hit record production and record profit levels according to figures released at its annual press conference this morning at its Ingolstadt HQ.
Audi delivered 1,512,014 million cars to customers in 2011, up from 1,293,453 in 2010, a rise of 16.9 percent. However, the operating profit of some 5.35bn Euros was up a massive 60 per cent on 2010. Overall revenues were up to just over 44bn Euros, a rise of 24 per cent on 2010.
Profits after tax were just over £4.4bn, up 68.8 per cent year-on-year, return on sales of 21.1 per cent, up from 9.4 per cent. Sales of Lamborghini sports cars – which is part of the Audi Group – were 1602 in 2011, up from 1302 in 2010.
UK was Audi's fourth-biggest market (after China at 313,036 cars, Germany at 254,011 and the USA at 117,561) seeing 115,345 sales. Audi sales were up 35 per cent in Asia.
The top-selling model ranges were the A4 (330,222 sales), followed by the A6 (244,924) and A3 (189,068). Audi's most successful individual cars were the A4 saloon (216,251 sales), A6 saloon (196,260) and Q5 (191,987).
Audi boss Rupert Stadler said that even though 2011 was marked by ‘the earthquake in Japan, the Arab Spring uprisings and the ongoing sovereign debt crisis’ it was still the best year in Audi’s history.
