--FILE--un Audi R8 V10 plus è sul display durante il XVI Shanghai industria automobilistica internazionale mostra, noto anche come Auto Shanghai 2015, in
--FILE--An Audi R8 V10 plus is on display during the 16th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, also known as Auto Shanghai 2015, in Shanghai, China, 20 April 2015. Audi AG is providing 1.2 billion yuan ($193 million) in financial aid to its dealers in China as demand for luxury vehicles slows in its largest market, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The money will be paid out soon to distributors of the brand in China, according to two people familiar with the plan, who asked not to be named as the information isn¯t public. The automaker also lowered its sales target for 2015 from 600, 000 units to about last year's level, the people said. It delivered 578, 932 vehicles in China including Hong Kong last year. "In an increasingly competitive market environment, Audi puts a strong focus on a financially healthy dealer network, guaranteed service quality and stable prices, " Audi China said in an e-mailed response, without confirming the subsidy or cut in sales target. "We steer the market in close alignment with our dealers." Audi's subsidies follow that of Volkswagen AG, which agreed to give financial aid to some of its Chinese dealers earlier this month as vehicle demand slowed with the economy amid stock-market volatility. BMW AG and Toyota Motor Corp. also agreed to give their dealers aid to help cover losses earlier this year. Audi's China sales fell in May and June, dragging down first-half delivery growth to 1.9 percent. Despite the decline, Audi remains China's best-selling luxury carmaker, ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
