Audi says its China car sales may fall this year
Audi AG's car sales in China may drop this year, the German luxury carmaker's chief executive said on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters at the Frankfurt auto show, Rupert Stadler declined to reiterate the company's outlook for 600,000 vehicle sales in China this year.
Asked whether 2015 sales in China could decline, Stadler said: "We will see."
Stadler said he expected the Chinese car market to grow again next year or in 2017 at the latest.
Audi's sales fell 4.1 percent year on year in August to 45,196 vehicles, and sales for the first eight months are up only 0.8 percent to 361,316.
But Audi remains China's top-selling luxury brand, and it plans to introduce at least 10 new models in China by next summer to regain momentum.
BMW executives also have warned of a slowdown, but Mercedes-Benz -- whose sales for the first eight months were up nearly 28 percent to 227,624 vehicles -- is sticking with its annual sales target.
Mercedes expects to sell 300,000-plus vehicles in 2015, up from 281,588 last year.
Asked whether 2015 sales in China could decline, Stadler said: "We will see."
Stadler said he expected the Chinese car market to grow again next year or in 2017 at the latest.
Audi's sales fell 4.1 percent year on year in August to 45,196 vehicles, and sales for the first eight months are up only 0.8 percent to 361,316.
But Audi remains China's top-selling luxury brand, and it plans to introduce at least 10 new models in China by next summer to regain momentum.
BMW executives also have warned of a slowdown, but Mercedes-Benz -- whose sales for the first eight months were up nearly 28 percent to 227,624 vehicles -- is sticking with its annual sales target.
Mercedes expects to sell 300,000-plus vehicles in 2015, up from 281,588 last year.
