German carmaker Audi increased sales and turnover last year, but made significantly less profit, the company announced on Tuesday during its annual press conference. Profit after tax fell by 12% to just under €6.3 billion ($6.8 billion). This was mainly due to the effects of raw material hedging transactions, chief financial executive Jürgen Rittersberger said. The outlook for the current year is bleak: Audi expects sales to fall from €69.9 billion to €63 to €68 billion, partly due to several model launches after two years without a new model. “2024 will be an even more challenging year than 2…