Audi Cars Sale

Audi in the first half year sales up 11% on strong demand A3

FRANKFURT - Audi global sales in the first six months by 11 percent to a record 869,350 vehicles by the strong demand for the compact A3 range. 

June shipments were up 11 percent to 155 450 cars, the automaker in a statement, the sixth double-digit percentage increase in seven months. 

"In the first half of this year, we have delivered more cars than in all of 2005 ... We will carry forward from the first half of the year in the second half, the momentum," Audi sales chief Luca de Meo said in the today's statement. 

The automaker's global sales of the new A3 family by 49 per cent to around 144 750 by June, supported by the introduction of the A3 sedan to the U.S. market in April. 

Audi sales in Europe rose by 7 percent in the first half to 410 050, while in China, the carmaker's largest single market, with deliveries increasing by 18 percent to 268 666 during the same period, helped by the popularity of the Q3 SUV, whose sales by 61 percent to 7,149 units last month. 

In Germany, sales rose by 9 per cent to 140 003 to June, while in the United States rose by 14 percent to 84 349 new registrations. At Audi, No. 4 market, the UK, sales rose by 13 per cent to 83 357. 

Audi aims to exceed this year 1.58 million record sales last year, while the rival BMW drives the brands deliveries of 1.66 million in 2013 increase. The Mercedes-Benz brand sold 1.46 million last year and aims to pass No. 2 Audi and BMW knock from its position as the world's best-selling premium brand. 

Analysts say the strongest sales momentum is now with Mercedes this year, the re-designed by a flood of benefits and new models such as the A-Class, B-Class and the GLA and CLA charges. 

On Friday, Mercedes brand sales rose 13 percent to 783 520 in the first six months. In June, new registrations increased by 8 per cent to 142 136. 

BMW Group has yet to be resolved brand sales for June and the first half. 

Reuters contributed to this report