Audi sees '09 sales fall 10 pct to 900,000 vehicles

FRANKFURT, July 8 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's (VOWG.DE) premium brand Audi expects volumes this year to drop 10 percent to 900,000 vehicles, Audi's head of sales said on Wednesday.

"We will finish on target, achieving our sales forecast of 900,000 cars in 2009. We have been right on track over the first six months, and the current level of incoming orders serves to confirm our prognosis," Peter Schwarzenbauer said in a statement.

Strong demand in China and Germany served to lift volumes by 1.3 percent in June, helping reduce the deficit in the first half to 9.7 percent. Vehicle sales amounted to around 466,000 vehicles.

(Reporting by Christiaan Hetzner)