Volkswagen Group’s sales rose by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2016 with over 2.5 million vehicles sold from January to March 2016. At 967,100 units, the Group sales in March went down slightly by 0.2 percent.

The Group sold 447,600 new vehicles 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, things remained negative in the home market of Germany (-2.5 percent). However, the 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 sold over 201,500 vehicles the North America region in the first quarter. In the USA, the region’s largest single market, 49,900 new vehicles (-3.7 percent) were sold in March. In the South American market, 40,000 vehicles were sold in the same month, of which 26,000 were sold 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 as sales rose overall by 4.3 percent to 1,045,400 units. China’s sales in the first quarter amounted to 955,500 units, representing an increase of 6.4 percent compared with the prior year. In total, 328,000 vehicles were sold in March. “The Group recorded its best start to the year in China since entering the market there,” Fred Kappler, head of Group Sales at Volkswagen said.

Also read: Volkswagen Group’s February sales dip as brand takes a hit in Americas and China