Volkswagen Group begins 2015 with flat global sales

The 12-brand strong Volkswagen Group has begun 2015 with a slight increase in deliveries of 0.7 percent. The company delivered 817,600 (January 2014: 811,500) vehicles worldwide.

“The Volkswagen Group made a stable start to the year. Our premium brands Audi and Porsche, along with Škoda and Seat, put in a particularly strong performance,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on February 13. “Looking ahead to the full year, we can expect the global uncertainties to continue – and 2015 will be another challenging year,” Klingler added.

Including the figures for heavy commercial vehicles, Group brands delivered a total of 287,400 (279,400; +2.9 percent) vehicles to customers on the overall European market in the first month of the year. 152,200 (149,300; +1.9 percent) customers took possession of a new vehicle in Western Europe (excluding Germany). 89,300 (84,200; +6.1 percent) units were delivered in the home market of Germany. The Group handed over 45,900 vehicles to customers in Central and Eastern Europe, matching the figure for January 2014. 13,800 (16,600; -16.9 percent) units were delivered in Russia.

In North America, 63,200 (58,000; +9.0 percent) vehicles were sold, of which 39,200 (36,900; +6.1 percent) were handed over to customers in the United States. The Volkswagen Group delivered 53,900 (67,900; -20.7 percent) vehicles in the South America region during the same period, of which 38,500 (48,500; -20.7 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

381,300 (375,000; +1.7 per cent) vehicles were delivered to customers in the Asia-Pacific region in the first month of the year, of which 351,400 (344,500; +2.0 percent) were handed over in China (including Hong Kong), the Group’s largest single market.

Outline of developments at Group brands
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 507,100 (521,600; -2.8 percent) vehicles to customers worldwide in January 2015.

Audi handed over 137,700 (124,900) vehicles in the first month of the year, a rise of 10.3 percent.

Porsche sold 16,000 (12,200) vehicles, representing an increase of 31.2 percent compared with the previous year.

Škoda delivered 87,000 (80,900) vehicles in January, an increase of 7.5 percent.

Seat handed over 27,700 (26,000; +6.4 per cent) vehicles to customers during the first month of the year.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 30,600 (31,600; -3.3 percent) vehicles during the same period.

The MAN commercial vehicles brand delivered 5,600 (7,800; -29.0 percent) units in the first month of the year.

The Swedish brand Scania delivered 5,000 (5,600; -9,7 percent) heavy trucks and buses to customers in January.