Audi has sold just over a half a million cars in the first half of the year, a 9.8% increase over last year and a new record for the luxury brand. Having sold approximately 509,000 units this year, Audi could even reach its 2008 target of selling a million vehicles twelve months early, avowed Audi marketing exec Ralph Weyler.

Audis are now sold in 41 different markets across the globe, but as always Europe accounted for the bulk of its sales, which stood at 372,300. The market with the highest growth by far was Russia, with sales numbering 7,272 units, a rise of 76.3% over the previous year.

Unfortunately for Audi, it still hasn’t managed to capitalize on the US market, selling only 45,711 in the world’s largest car market. Still, with close to twenty new models planned for release in the near future, Audi's sales target of more than 1.5 million cars in 2015 doesn't seem that unachievable any more.