• Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler: “Good start to a challenging year”
The Volkswagen Group began the new year with a sizable 6.5 percent* rise in deliveries, handing over 798,100 (January 2013: 749,500)* vehicles to customers in the first month of the current year. “The Volkswagen Group has made a good start to the new year. Even though last January’s delivery figures reflected the special effect brought about by the Chinese New Year, we still grew deliveries further in the first month of this year. And we are seeing the first increases in Europe, above all in Western Europe, where the downturn appears to have bottomed out”, Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday, and added: “This is a good start to what will be a challenging year.”
Positive momentum continued on the overall European market, where Group brands grew deliveries by 8.5 percent to 273,700 (252,200) vehicles in the first month of the year, of which 146,700 (138,100; +6.3 percent) units were handed over in Western Europe (excluding Germany). There was a sizable increase for the Group in the home market of Germany, where 82,400 (73,900; +11.6 percent) customers chose a new vehicle from the Group. The company delivered 44,500 (40,200; +10.7 percent) vehicles in the Central and Eastern Europe region during the same period, of which 16,100 (17,400; -7.2 percent) were handed over in Russia.
The Volkswagen Group delivered 57,800 (62,600; -7.7 percent) vehicles in the North America region in January, of which 36,900 (42,700; -13.4 percent) were handed over in the United States. In the South America region, Volkswagen Group deliveries during the same period were down 19.5 percent to 62,200 (77,300) vehicles, of which 43,600 (55,400; -21.4 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.
The Group continued to record very encouraging figures in the Asia-Pacific region, where 374,400 (326,200; +14.8 percent) vehicles were delivered in the first month of this year, of which 344,400 (298,300; +15.5 percent) were handed over to customers in China (incl. Hong Kong), the Group’s largest single market – this is the first time January deliveries on this market have exceeded the 300,000 mark. In contrast, deliveries in India declined to 5,700 (7,800; -27.4 percent) vehicles.
Outline of developments at Group brands
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand recorded a sizable increase in worldwide deliveries in January, handing over 515,700 (491,900; +4.8 percent) vehicles to customers. The brand developed well in the Asia-Pacific region, where 285,300 (251,100; +13.7 percent) vehicles were delivered. Volkswagen Passenger Cars handed over 126,200 (116,900) vehicles to customers on the overall European market, an increase of 7.9 percent.
Audi delivered 124,900 (111,800) vehicles worldwide in January, a rise of 11.7 percent. The premium brand from Ingolstadt benefited among other things from growth in China (incl. Hong Kong), where 44,500 (37,700; +18.2 percent) vehicles were delivered, and in the home market of Germany, where 17,400 (14,600; +19.3 percent) customers took possession of a new vehicle.
The sports car manufacturer Porsche delivered a total of 12,200 (12,100; +1.4 percent) vehicles in the first month of the year. Demand for vehicles built by the Stuttgart-based carmaker was particularly high in China (incl. Hong Kong), where 4,000 (3,100) units were delivered, an increase of 29.2 percent.
The Czech automaker ŠKODA delivered 80,900 (69,500) units in January, a sizable rise of 16.5 percent. The company handed over 20,600 (17,600; +16.8 percent) vehicles to customers in Western Europe (excluding Germany) and 18,100 (15,100; +19.8 percent) units in the Central and Eastern Europe region.
The Spanish brand SEAT continued its stable development in January and delivered 26,000 (25,900; +0.5 percent) vehicles worldwide. The brand recorded further growth in Germany, where 5,300 (4,600; +14.2 percent) vehicles were delivered, and in the UK, where 3,400 (2,900; +15.7 percent) units were handed over.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 37,500 (37,500; +0.1 percent) light commercial vehicles in January. The brand grew deliveries in the Central and Eastern Europe region, where 2,700 (2,400; +14.0 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers. Deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region totaled 1,700 (1,400; +21.6 percent) units.
*) excluding MAN and Scania
