The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 2.41 (January – May 2012: 2.29; +5.3 percent) million vehicles in the first five months of this year. The brand grew deliveries by 5.5 percent for the month of May, handing over 503,100 (May 2012: 476,900) vehicles to customers. “Overall the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand is showing stable development despite continuing economic uncertainty, although the trends vary quite significantly. While deliveries in China, for example, continued to rise, unit sales for May in other regions such as Western Europe declined”, Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said in Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 688,900 (743,000; -7.3 percent) on the overall European market from January to May, of which 351,400 (378,700; -7.2 percent) units were handed over in Western Europe (excluding Germany). Deliveries in the home market of Germany were also down at 229,300 (255,900; -10.4 percent) vehicles. In contrast, development in Central and Eastern Europe was stable, with Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivering 108,200 (108,400; -0.2 percent) vehicles in the region. The company handed over 62,600 (65,300; -4.2 percent) vehicles to customers in Russia.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the brand grew deliveries by 17.6 percent from January to May, with 1.07 (0.91) million customers taking delivery of a new car, of which 980,000 (819,300; +19.6 percent) units were handed over in China, the region’s largest single market. In India, on the other hand, deliveries dropped to 26,600 (31,100; -14.6 percent) units.
In the North America region, Volkswagen Passenger Cars increased deliveries by 4.4 percent to 252,700 (242,100) units, of which 169,800 (170,600; -0.4 percent) models were handed over to new owners in the United States. In the South America region, deliveries declined by 2.9 percent in the period to May, and ran at 303,100 (312,200) units, of which 227,100 (229,900; -2.1 percent) vehicles were handed over in Brazil.