Auto sales are down in Europe, but sales of Audi's A3 have been strong. The company rolled out this new sedan version to European buyers last month. Photo credit: Audi.
Last year, Volkswagen (VWAGY -1.45%) was the world's most profitable automaker, even though it was outsold by both General Motors (GM 0.56%) and Toyota (TM -3.61%). How'd that happen? Simple: Volkswagen has turned its luxury-car brand, Audi, into a huge source of profits.
Audi has continued to rack up big gains this year. As Fool contributor John Rosevear explains, Audi's recent sales gains have been surprisingly strong -- and those gains could mean big profits for VW in the coming quarter.
