INGOLSTADT (dpa-AFX) - The Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi sold 1.9 million cars last year, increasing deliveries by 17 percent. Good growth was recorded in Europe, the USA and China, said Head of Sales Hildegard Wortmann on Thursday. The share of all-electric vehicles in total sales was only nine percent - the fourth e-model series is due to be launched in March.

Audi CEO Gernot Dollner said that high demand provides a robust starting point for a challenging year with increased competition and global economic uncertainty. The focus is on electric mobility and the profitability of the cars. The next important step is the launch of the Q6 E-Tron SUV, which is based on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) developed together with VW sports car subsidiary Porsche.

Last year, Audi delivered 178,000 fully electric cars - an increase of 51 percent compared to the previous year. After a lean period, the Volkswagen subsidiary intends to strengthen its range of e-cars, combustion engines and plug-in hybrids with many new models in 2024 and 2025. In Europe, Audi sales increased by 20 percent to 748,000, in China by 13 percent to 729,000 cars. In the USA, the company achieved its best sales year with growth of 22 percent to 229,000 cars.

The Board of Management will publish the financial figures for the past year on March 19. Audi had targeted sales of 1.8 million to 1.9 million cars, an increase in turnover to 69 billion to 72 billion euros and a good nine percent return on sales.

Competitor BMW increased its sales last year by 6.5 percent to around 2.555 million cars. Sales of fully electric cars increased by 74 percent to 376,000 vehicles or 15 percent of total sales. Mercedes-Benz has not yet published its sales figures./rol/DP/men