(March 16, 2017) INGOLSTADT— In the coming years, Audi says it will significantly rejuvenate its product range, will launch several electric cars and will enter new digital business areas. The robust core business forms the basis for the required advance expenditure. The Audi Group’s revenue increased to €59.3 billion in 2016 and its operating return on sales before special items was 8.2 percent.

The company recognized provisions totaling €1.8 billion for the resolution of the V6 3.0 TDI diesel issue and in connection with Takata airbags. After these special items, operating profit amounted to €3.1 billion, resulting in an operating return on sales of 5.1 percent.
 
“2016 was a very challenging year for our company,” said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, at the company's annual press conference Wednesday. “But we completed it with robust earnings from our core business and set our course for the future.”

The brand plans to launch three battery-electric models by 2020 and to electrify additional model series after that. As part of its electric initiative, Audi has already trained more than 6,000 employees to work with high-voltage technology over the past three years. Audi is also involved in the development of a public fast-charging infrastructure.
 
Audi, as the lead developer in the Volkswagen Group, is also accelerating with the technology for self-driving cars. A newly founded subsidiary, Autonomous Intelligent Driving GmbH in Munich, is working on a system for autonomous vehicles in cities. The technology is to be applicable in the models of various brands and is also a key component of mobility services conceivable for the future, such as robot taxis. The company is open to cooperation with further strong partners in the automotive and IT sectors.
 
At the same time, Audi is further developing assisted and piloted systems for other traffic situations, such as on highways or country roads. In the new Audi A8, customers will for the first time be able to use Level 3 automated driving functions in traffic jams at speeds up to 60 km/h.
 
Audi will significantly rejuvenate its model portfolio in the coming years. In addition to the launch of the Audi A8, new generations of important volume models such as the Q5 and A5 will successively be launched into the markets in 2017. Furthermore, the Audi Q2 will become available in additional international markets. In 2018, Audi will strengthen its top-end lineup with the second generation of the Audi A7. In the same year, the Audi Q8 will supplement the successful SUV family. And another new model is planned for 2019: the Audi Q4, a sporty compact utility vehicle.
 
Last year, Audi increased its worldwide deliveries by 3.6 percent to a new record of 1,867,738 automobiles,