The Volkswagen brand is off to a good sales start in 2012, with passenger car sales up 9.1 percent in the first two months.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 893,400 (January-February 2012: 818,800; +9.1 percent) vehicles to customers in the period to February. Compared with the prior year, the delivery level in the month of February was almost unchanged, with the brand handing over 401,400 (February 2012: 399,700; +0.4 percent) vehicles.
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“The Volkswagen brand was not entirely immune to the tough competition and continued uncertainty in key European markets in February”, Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said. “However, we compensated for weak markets in Western Europe with growth in the Asia-Pacific region and in Central and Eastern Europe”, Klingler added.
Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 231,600 (251,800; -8.0 percent) vehicles on the overall European market in the period to February. In Western Europe (excluding Germany) deliveries fell 11.6 percent to 115,800 (131,000) units as a result of the difficult market situation. In Germany, Volkswagen Passenger Cars handed over 77,000 (85,000; -9.4 percent) vehicles to customers in the first two months of the year. In contrast, the brand generated growth in Central and Eastern Europe, where deliveries rose by 8.4 percent to 38,800 (35,800) units, with deliveries on the Russian market increasing to 22,500 (20,700; +8.7 percent) units.
In the Asia-Pacific region the brand grew deliveries by 27.7 percent from January to February, handing over 425,500 (333,200) vehicles to customers, of which 392,300 (300,300; +30.6 percent) units were delivered in China (incl. Hong Kong). Volkswagen handed over 9,800 (12,000; -18.0 percent) vehicles in India in the first two months.
In the North America region Volkswagen Passenger Cars grew deliveries by 8.2 percent to 90,300 (83,500) units, of which 60,500 (57,800; +4.7 percent) vehicles were handed over in the USA. In the South America region the company delivered 112,400 (121,100; -7.2 percent) vehicles in the period to February, of which 82,100 (86,700; -5.2 percent) units were delivered in Brazil.
