German automaker Audi AG plans to increase its presence in the Asian and Pacific markets, targeting annual sales of 80,000 to 90,000 units -- or 10 percent of the firm's global sales -- in five years, an Audi executive said Friday.
Some 20,000 units will be sold in Japan, which is the second-largest market in the region, said Markus Schrick, executive director in charge of Audi's Asia-Pacific sales.
Audi, a member of the Volkswagen AG group, sold more than 700,000 units last year globally, a record for the company.
Some 45,000 units were sold in the Asian and Pacific markets, accounting for 6 percent of Audi's worldwide sales, Schrick told reporters. More than 8,000 units were sold in Japan last year, an increase of 17 percent from the previous year, according to the firm.
Schrick said the firm is focusing on spreading its exclusive dealership network globally and that it set up more than 70 dealerships in Japan last year.
"By having our own dealerships, we have been able to make our base in the market, and our sales prove that it is working," Schrick said.
He added that Audi aims to increase the number of dealerships in Japan to between 100 and 120 in the next five years.