The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand handed over 2.43 million vehicles to customers in the first five months of 2016, almost matching the prior year level (2.48 million vehicles). 495,900 units were delivered in May, compared with 499,500 units in the comparable month last year. Jürgen Stackmann, Board Member for Sales, explained: “in May, our worldwide deliveries were at the same level as in 2015. In China, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand achieved further growth, while deliveries in Europe remained stable at the prior year level. The market launch of the new Tiguan in Europe has been successful – it will set the pace over the next few months.”
There were differences between developments in the various regions of the world in May 2016. In Europe as a whole, 148,100 vehicles were delivered in this period, representing a rise of 1.6 percent compared with the previous year. Despite a slight fall in deliveries in the home market of Germany (-5.8 percent), 129,400 vehicles were handed over to customers in Western Europe in May 2016, slightly above the figure for the corresponding month of the previous year (+0.4 percent). Up to the end of May 2016, the Tiguan had already generated more than 49,000 orders in Western Europe.
Stackmann added: “The diesel recall campaign has started successfully and now includes the key models Golf, Tiguan and Passat. Independent market studies also confirm that the residual values of our vehicles in Europe are stable.”
Once again, developments in Central and Eastern Europe were strong, with 18,700 vehicles handed over to customers in the month of May, corresponding to a rise of 11.3 percent compared with the previous year. For the first time in 2016, the Russian market remained stable compared with the previous year, with slight growth of 0.3 percent in May. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary continued to drive growth in this region.
The brand delivered 229,800 vehicles in the North American region from January to May, representing a decline of 4.8% over the comparable period of the previous year. 125,200 vehicles were handed over to customers in the USA, some 13.1% fewer than in 2015. Developments in the Mexican market were significantly more positive and a sales record was reported in May for the fourth month in succession. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand was also affected by the generally weak markets in South America, where deliveries fell significantly compared with the previous year to 150,800 vehicles in the year to May.
In Asia, performance continued to be strong, especially in China. In May, 232,400 vehicles were handed over to customers, corresponding to a rise of 5.7% compared with the previous year. In January to May, a new record was posted in China, with 1,171,800 vehicles delivered.
Overview of deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand: