Volkswagen's premium brand Audi cannot exclude a decline in volume in 2009, which would bring to an end its streak of 13 straight years of vehicle sales growth.
"Forecasts at the moment are hardly possible and if made are not reliable," Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler told reporters at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday.
Asked whether he could rule out a drop in vehicle sales from 2008 level of 1.008 million vehicles he replied he could not.
Stadler said he was "confident" about the way the company performed last year but declined to comment on whether Audi would meet its goal of increasing revenue and operating profit in line with 4.1 percent growth in volume.
Its closest competitors, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have warned twice they would not meet their 2008 earnings targets. Stadler reaffirmed that Audi was set to reach its target of 1.5 million vehicle sales in 2015.
He also said that he expects the weak US car market to recuperate and reach annual sales of 13-14 million vehicles in mid-term and added that Audi would decide whether it would manufacture cars in the United States by the end of the first half of 2009.