automaker
Audi does not give a forecast for 2022
In 2021, Audi only sold 1.7 million cars as in the previous year due to a lack of semiconductors, but achieved a record result of 5.5 billion euros. Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
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Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Audi will not be making any forecast for this year. The Volkswagen subsidiary has “burdens on the production side” this month and the following.
In view of the Ukraine war, the Volkswagen subsidiary Audi does not dare to make any forecasts for this year. CFO Jürgen Rittersberger said in Ingolstadt: “In March and April we see significant burdens on the production side.”
How this can be caught up in the second half of the year and what effects the war will have on the global economy is currently not foreseeable.
CEO Markus Duesmann said Audi has so far sourced all custom wiring harnesses for the cars built in Europe from Ukraine. The suppliers in the Ukraine tried to continue producing: “Production continues within walking distance of a bunker, sometimes in three shifts. It leaves me speechless to what extent the Ukrainians are operating there.” The Audi suppliers are now increasing their capacities in Romania, Hungary, Tunisia and Morocco, and deliveries are also being made to Europe from China and Mexico.
Last year, Audi only sold 1.7 million cars due to a lack of semiconductors, as in the previous year, but achieved sales of 53 billion euros and a record result of 5.5 billion euros. The comparatively high car prices, strong results from the subsidiaries Lamborghini and Ducati as well as raw material valuation and currency effects contributed to this. The operating return on sales including the China business was 12.5 percent.
Because the supply of semiconductors had already improved at the end of last year, Audi was able to produce properly in January and February, said Rittersberger. He expects a further relaxation in the semiconductors. However, no one knows whether the Ukraine war is not having an impact here, too.