Audi's sales, revenue rise in H1 despite ongoing Dieselgate

German carmaker Audi reported on Friday that its sales and revenue rose in the first half of 2018 despite the ongoing dieselgate and its jailed CEO.

Audi sold a total of 949,282 automobiles in the first six months, up by 4.5 percent compared to the same period last year. The increase in deliveries was primarily driven by the positive development in Asia and North America, a statement of Audi read.

Meanwhile, the revenue also increased by 3.9 percent to 31.2 billion euros (36.2 billion dollars) in the first half of the year.

"We successfully mastered the first half of this exceptional year and kept Audi right on track," said Alexander Seitz, member of the board of management for Finance, IT and Integrity.

"The response to our new models and technologies shows that they will significantly move Audi forward again. To those ends, we are mastering the current phase of upheaval and transition," Seitz added.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has been listed by the Munich state prosecution office as suspects in ongoing German investigations into the "dieselgate" scandal since June.

Stadler then filed a legal complaint against his recent imprisonment in July, and is now still waiting for his release.