UPDATE 1AUTOSHOWVolkswagen sells record 6.2 mln cars in 2007
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DETROIT, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), the world’s fourth largest carmaker, increased group vehicle sales by 7.9 percent to a record 6.189 million units last year thanks to growth at all 8 brands and forecast a further gain for 2008.
“There will be growth but whether it will be 8 percent again, I cannot say,” Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn told reporters at the Detroit auto show.
He added that pretax profit exceeded the 5.1 billion euros
($7.54 billion) previously forecast for 2007, but declined to say by how much.
Each nameplate from Volkswagen’s stable of brands was able to improve its sales performance over 2006.
The group’s flagship VW brand increased sales by 7.8 percent to a record 3.66 million vehicles, thanks to strong gains in Brazil, China as well as Central and Eastern Europe, where demand grew anywhere from a quarter to nearly a third.
Volkswagen’s premium marque Audi saw its sales rise by 6.5 percent to 964,200 vehicles as the brand with the four interlocking rings managed to rack up its 12th straight year of sales records. Continued…
Tags: Audi, Auto, Auto Show, cars, detroit auto show, reuters, s sales, Volkswagen
