For the first time the Volkswagen Group delivered over six million vehicles in the first eight months of a year. The company grew deliveries from January to August 2013 to 6.17 (January-August 2012: 5.91; +4.5 per cent)* million vehicles. Deliveries in the month of August remained stable at 720,400 units (August 2012: 719,500; +0.1 per cent).
“The Volkswagen Group is in robust shape despite the economic uncertainty, and our development in the period to August remained satisfactory. For the first time, we delivered over six million vehicles to customers in the first eight months of a year,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday, and added: “Notwithstanding the difficult conditions, we still expect deliveries for the full year to exceed the prior-year level.”
The Group brands delivered a total of 2.39 (2.47; -3.3 per cent) million vehicles to customers on the overall European market from January to August. In Western Europe (excluding Germany), 1.22 (1.25; -2.7 per cent) million customers took possession of a new vehicle. 757,300 (792,300; -4.4 per cent) vehicles were delivered on the home market of Germany. The Group handed over 415,000 (426,700; -2.7 per cent) vehicles to customers in the Central and Eastern Europe region in the period to August, of which 199,800 (206,800; -3.4 per cent) units were delivered in Russia.
Trends varied in the Americas. Deliveries in the North America region in the period to August grew by 10.9 per cent to 593,700 (535,300) vehicles, of which 414,800 (379,900; +9.2 per cent) units were handed over to customers in the United States. The Volkswagen Group delivered 605,600 (678,500; -10.8 per cent) vehicles in the South America region during the same period, of which 447,600 (518,700; -13.7 per cent) units were handed over to customers in Brazil.
Group delivery figures for the Asia-Pacific region remained encouraging. 2.30 (1.98; +16.2 per cent) million vehicles were handed over to customers there in the first eight months. In China (excluding Hong Kong), the region’s largest single market, deliveries topped the two million mark for the first time in an eight-month period, with 2.05 (1.74; +17.9 per cent) million customers taking possession of a new vehicle. In India 63,600 (77,400; -17.9 per cent) customers took delivery of a new Group model.
