Volkswagen Group’s global vehicle deliveries fell 14.3% in the third quarter of 2026, hit by a Chinese downturn and North American regulatory headwinds.
Total worldwide volumes decreased to 1,885,300 units, led by a 38.5% slide in China to 405,800 units.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Volkswagen Group Sales extended executive committee member Martin Sander said the company is operating in a “persistently challenging market environment”.
In North America, quarterly deliveries dropped 5.8% to 232,700 units amid tariffs, regulatory shifts, and the expiration of government electric vehicle subsidies in the US.
Deliveries in Western Europe fell 2.8% to 780,000 units.
Elsewhere, volumes declined 10% to 89,300 units across the Middle East and Africa, 12.4% to 67,200 units in the Asia-Pacific region excluding China, and 2.4% to 175,300 units in South America.
Across passenger car divisions between July and September, Volkswagen Passenger Cars deliveries fell 19.3% to 946,600 vehicles, Audi declined 19.7% to 314,900 units, Porsche dropped 15% to 56,200 units, and Bentley contracted 25.5% to 1,800 units.
In contrast, the TRATON commercial vehicle brand group expanded 10.5% to 78,900 units.
Global battery-electric vehicle (BEV) deliveries decreased 4.7% to 240,200 units during the quarter.
An 86.4% plunge in US BEV deliveries to 5,100 units, caused by import tariffs and the end of subsidies, alongside a 30.1% drop in Chinese electric volumes to 18,000 units, outweighed a 19.6% increase in Europe to 209,100 units.
Over the first nine months of 2026, group deliveries fell 9% globally to 6,011,000 vehicles.
Year-to-date gains of 5.3% in Central and Eastern Europe, 4.3% in South America, and 1.1% in Western Europe failed to offset cumulative drops of 30.2% in China and 4% in North America.
Sander said: “The sharp decline in the overall market in China remains an industry-wide challenge. At the same time, our new, locally developed electric models are beginning to make an impact.
“Compared to the same quarter last year, we delivered approximately 30% more electrified vehicles to our customers in China in Q3. Globally, our deliveries after three quarters are approximately nine percent below the same period last year.”
