The first three months of the 2016 were good for the Volkswagen Group, even if the Dieslgate scandal affected its popularity around the world. The automotive giant recorded a rose by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2016. The Group handed over 2.5 million vehicles to customers from January to March 2016. At 967,100 units, Group deliveries in March almost matched the prior-year level.
The Volkswagen Group delivered 447,600 new vehicles to customers in Europe in March, an increase of 2.7 percent compared with the previous year. While developments in Western Europe (+1.9 percent) were positive, there was a slight decrease on the home market of Germany (-2.5 percent). Momentum in France, Italy and Spain was particularly strong. The markets in Central and Eastern Europe also recorded strong growth in this period (+8.8 percent), but the continued tense situation in Russia (-3.3 percent) had an impact.
The company handed over 201,500 vehicles to customers in the North America region in the first quarter. 49,900 new vehicles (-3.7 percent) were delivered in the USA, the region’s largest single market, in March. 40,000 vehicles were handed over to customers in the South America region in the same month, of which 26,000 were delivered in Brazil where the market decline continued as a result of the macroeconomic situation in the country.
The Asia-Pacific region recorded solid growth in the first quarter. Vehicle deliveries in the region during this period rose overall by 4.3 percent to 1,045,400 units. 955,500 vehicles were handed over to customers in China in the first quarter, representing an increase of 6.4 percent compared with the prior year. A total of 328,000 vehicles were delivered in March.
