Audi Aims to Overtake Rivals by 2010 in Europe

FRANKFURT - Volkswagen AG's luxury unit Audi aims to sell more cars than its rivals Mercedes-Benz of Daimler and BMW by 2010 in Europe, Audi marketing head Peter Schwarzenbauer said, according to Reuters.

"In terms of unit sales, we will already be ahead of our major competitors in Europe in 2010," Schwarzenbauer said.

In the U.S, he noted Audi would increase its marketing expenditure by 15-20 percent despite the recession.

He said he expected a 10-percent decline in Audi sales this year to 900,000 units, but he expected the fall would be far more at Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Audi has said it wants to increase its unit sales to 1.5 million cars by 2015, according to Reuters.