INGOLSTADT, Germany, March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
- Audi Group 2014: revenue of over €50 billion, operating profit above €5 billion, operating return on sales of 9.6 percent
- High level of financial strength demonstrated by net cash flow of€3 billion and profit before tax of approximately €6 billion
- Audi CEO Rupert Stadler: "After a very positive start to this yearwe aim to achieve a new record for unit sales in 2015"
- CFO Axel Strotbek: "Operating return on sales reached the upper end of the strategic target corridor despite high advance expenditure"
With a new record for deliveries of more than 1.74million automobiles, Audi for the first time increased its revenue to more than €53 billion in 2014. Operating profit amounted to €5.15billion and the operatingreturnonsales of 9.6percent was at the upperend of the strategic target corridor of eighttotenpercent. After taking increased financial income into consideration, profitbeforetax increased to approximately €6billion. The returnonsalesbeforetax was 11.1percent. The brand with the FourRings will invest more than €24billion in new products and technologies by 2019, and is continually expanding its global production network. Worldwide, the AudiGroup plans to recruit more than 6,000newemployees in 2015. The company intends to deliver more premium cars than in the previous year once again in 2015.
At the Annual Press Conference on Tuesday, BoardofManagementChairman RupertStadler stated, "We delivered more in 2014 than promised. After a very positive start to this year, we aim to achieve a new record for unitsales in 2015." This year, the company will start the next stage of its model initiative with the new AudiQ7*, the new AudiR8* and the new AudiA4*family.
Audi delivered a convincing performance in 2014 despite a heterogeneous market environment, and increased its unit sales in all regions. The Ingolstadt company set new records for unit sales in a total of 50countries. Worldwide, it sold 1,741,129automobiles of the Audibrand to its customers (2013:1,575,480), representing an increase of 10.5percent(2013:8.3percent). The AudiGroup increased its revenue to €53,787million(2013:€49,880million): growth of 7.8percent compared with the previous year.
Despite high advance expenditure for the expansion of international production structures as well as for new models and technologies - in particular to fulfill increasingly strict CO2regulations around the world - the AudiGroup increased its operating profit by 2.4percent to €5,150million(2013:€5,030million).
The AudiGroup's sellingexpenses increased at a lower rate than revenue: plus5.5percent to €4,895million(2013:€4,641million), although the company delivered significantly more automobiles to its customers.
Financialincome of €841million was significantly higher than in 2013(€293million). It includes Audi's share of the operatingprofit of the Chinesejoint-venturecompanyFAW-VWAutomotiveCompany, which is consolidated atequity. Overall, the AudiGroup increased its profitbeforetax by12.5percent to €5,991million(2013:€5,323million). Returnonsalesbeforetax improved from 10.7percent in 2013 to 11.1percent last year.
BoardofManagementMemberforFinanceAxelStrotbek stated: "Our key financials show that we are preparing systematically for the future and nevertheless operating very profitably." Despite high levels of advanceexpenditure, with 9.6percent(2013:10.1percent) the company achieved an operatingreturnonsales at the upperend of its strategic targetcorridor of eighttotenpercent.
Fuel consumption and CO2emissions of the models named above:
Audi A4:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 10,7 - 4;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 249 - 104
Audi Q7:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 8,3 -5,7;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 193 - 149
Audi R8:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 14,9 -12,4;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 349 - 289
Cross reference: Picture is available at epa european pressphoto agency (http://www.epa.eu) and http://ots.de/3DWv8
Corporate Communications
Julio Schuback
Press Spokesman Finance and Organization
Telephone: +49-841-89-38455
E-mail: julio.schuback@audi.de
http://www.audi-mediaservices.com
http://www.audi-newsroom.de
