Audi made a record profit last year. In the current year, the Ingolstadt Volkswagen subsidiary expects significantly more car sales and sales thanks to full order books, but a falling profit margin. Higher material, raw material and wage costs and a lower proportion of very profitable luxury vehicles in sales caused headwind, said CFO Jürgen Rittersberger on Thursday in Ingolstadt.

For this year, Audi is aiming for an increase in deliveries to 1.8 to 1.9 million cars and sales to 69 to 72 billion euros. However, the return on sales is likely to drop to 9 to 11 percent.

Audi delivered just 1.6 million cars last year - fewer than in 2013. But thanks to high prices, the high proportion of expensive vehicles and the first-time inclusion of the luxury car manufacturer Bentley in the Audi balance sheet, sales rose by 16 percent the record value of 61.75 billion euros, the operating profit rose by 40 percent to the peak of 7.55 billion euros. This corresponds to a return on sales of 12.2 percent. The bottom line is that the VW subsidiary made a record profit of 7.12 billion euros.

Profit sharing for employees

Around 55,000 Audi employees in Germany are to receive a profit-sharing scheme. For a skilled worker, it amounts to a good 8,500 euros, the company said.

CEO Markus Duesmann is concerned about sales of his electric cars in China, the largest market. The sales "didn't satisfy us," he said. Worldwide, the share of e-cars in Audi sales is just under 8 percent, but is now expected to rise sharply. In the fall, Audi plans to launch the Q6-etron, the first vehicle across the Group on the new luxury-class electric platform PPE, which Audi developed together with Porsche. Duesmann has announced ten new Audi models for the period up to the end of 2024.

It is completely open whether Audi will build a plant in the USA. "We'll decide that later this year," said Duesmann.