GYOR, Hungary, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The head of the luxury Audi unit of Europe's biggest carmaker Volkswagen said on Wednesday the company's sales in the first nine months of the year were higher than in the same period a year ago.
"Our nine-month sales will be better than last year," Audi chief Martin Winterkorn told Reuters at an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of the company's Gyor plant in Hungary.
When asked about profits in the period, Winterkorn said: "It is difficult to predict, it depends on the dollar exchange rate."
Audi's new finance chief, Rupert Stadler, told Reuters earlier this month pre-tax profits would be lower this year than last, although new models would lift earnings and sales volumes in 2004.