Volkswagen’s premium car brand Audi aims to overtake Daimler's Mercedes-Benz this year by racking

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up sales to 1.3 million vehicles, Audi's chief executive said.

"We will surpass Mercedes this year and move up from position No.3 to number No.2," Rupert Stadler told journalists on the sidelines of the Frankfurt auto show.

Audi was also upbeat on the economic outlook for the automotive industry.

"There are two early warning signals. One is fleet sales, the other used car sales, and in neither we currently recognise any headwinds," sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer said.