By Denes Albert
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, including a new five-door A3 hatchback and an updated version of its larger A6 saloon, would lift earnings and sales volumes in 2004.
The company, which is based in the southern German town of Ingolstadt and generated close to a third of parent group VW's profit last year, posted pre-tax earnings of 1.25 billion euros ($1.44 billion) in 2002.
Its profits fell over 10 percent in the first six months of the year, partly due to the strength of the euro.
Winterkorn also said he hoped demand for cars in Europe as whole would improve next year.
Audi makes four, six and eight-cylinder engines at the Gyor plant and has in the last ten years invested 1.6 billion euros there. In that period it has built 7.5 million engines and 250,000 cars at the site.