Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 16

The past fiscal year brought a slight increase in economic
momentum worldwide. Latterly, the signs were predominantly
positive in many industrialized nations, while most emerging
economies achieved sustained robust economic growth.
In 2013, the global automotive market benefited most of all
from strong demand for cars in China and the United States.
Under the umbrella of its long-term product initiative, the brand
with the four rings again brought a large number of new models
onto markets in 2013. The new Sportback and the Sedan
were added to the A3 premium compact family, for example.
The Audi brand also widened its range of extra-sporty S and
RS models with the introduction of numerous new products,
such as the SQ5, RS Q3, RS 5 Cabriolet, RS 6 Avant and RS 7
Sportback. Another major development in the past fiscal year
was the expansion of international production structures. The
Hungarian site Győr completed its transformation into an auto-
motive plant that now covers every stage of the process chain.
In addition, construction work on the new car plant in San José
Chiapa (Mexico) is making good progress ; the successor to the
Audi Q5 will be built there from 2016. Audi will also resume
production activities in Brazil from 2015, and a second plant in
China has just been opened in Foshan.
With 1,575,480 Audi vehicles sold over the course of the past
fiscal year, the volume target of 1.5 million deliveries originally
envisaged for 2015 was easily exceeded, two years ahead of
schedule. In addition, the Audi Group achieved an operating re-
turn on sales of 10.1 percent, at the upper end of its strategic
target corridor of eight to ten percent – despite the higher ex-
penses for new products and technologies as well as the ex-
pansion of manufacturing structures and highly intensive
competition in many markets. On behalf of the Supervisory
Board, I would like to thank the management, the employee
representatives and the workforce, without whose eorts this
outstanding achievement would not have been possible.
The Supervisory Board was newly constituted last year follow-
ing its election. The term of oce of all Supervisory Board
members ended with the close of the Annual General Meeting
on May 16, 2013. Heinz Eyer, Dr. phil. Christine Hawighorst
and Wolfgang Müller ceased to be Board members. The Super-
visory Board greatly appreciated their constructive advice
and expresses its gratitude and indebtedness to the former
members for their work. All other Supervisory Board mem-
bers were re-elected. Rolf Klotz, Ursula Piëch and Sibylle
Wankel were elected as new members. The term of office
of all Supervisory Board members ends with the close of
the Annual General Meeting, which is to give discharge for
the 2017 fiscal year.
At its constituent meeting on May 16, 2013, the Supervisory
Board re-elected me as its Chairman and Berthold Huber as
Vice Chairman. The Supervisory Board also elected the members
of the Presiding Committee, the Negotiating Committee
and the Audit Committee. It confirmed all members in their
previous functions.
The Board of Management provided the Supervisory Board
with regular, up-to-date and comprehensive information.
Decisions of fundamental importance were discussed in depth
by the Board of Management and Supervisory Board. The
Supervisory Board considered the economic framework and
the Company’s business progress and business policy as
well as its risk management and risk situation at ordinary
quarterly meetings and on the basis of regular oral and
written reports from the Board of Management, and con-
sulted the Board of Management closely on these matters.
The Chairman of the Supervisory Board also held consulta-
tions with the Chairman of the Board of Management in
between the regular meetings, on such topics as the Compa-
ny’s strategy, business policy, business development and
risk management.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Martin Winterkorn
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
PHOTO : Hartmut Nägele
Fuel consumption and emission figures at the end of the Annual Report
REPORT OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
016