Volkswagen Group maintains growth trajectory: 8.6% increase in deliveries from January-April

May 11, 2012: The Volkswagen Group has delivered 2.89 million vehicles (excluding MAN and Scania) to customers from January to April 2012 (January-April 2011: 2.66 million), representing an increase of 8.6 percent.

Europe’s largest automaker, therefore, once again outperformed the overall market which grew by some six percent. The Group also reported a rise in deliveries for the month of April, handing over 732,000 (April 2011: 690,800; +6.0 percent) new vehicles to customers.

“The Group’s worldwide deliveries continue to develop in the right direction. We are benefiting from our convincing model range and are looking to keep up the momentum over the coming months as well’, Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler (pictured) said in Wolfsburg. “We expect the markets in Western Europe to deteriorate further. Our current projection has been adjusted downward and we are therefore keeping an even closer eye on market developments.’

The Group brands delivered a total of 1.25 (1.23; +2.3 percent) million vehicles on the overall European market from January to April, of which 661,400 (703,000; -5.9 percent) units were delivered in Western Europe (excluding Germany) where conditions remained difficult. In contrast, Europe’s largest automaker grew deliveries in its home market of Germany by 5.6 percent to 387,500 (367,000) units. The company once again reported vigorous growth in the Central and Eastern Europe region, handing over 205,100 (155,300; +32.0 percent) vehicles to customers there.

Group deliveries also rose in the Asia-Pacific region, where 975,700 (837,300; +16.5 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers in the first four months, of which 858,900 (741,200; +15.9 percent) units were delivered in China, the region’s largest single market. In India, deliveries increased to 43,500 (37,200; +17.0 percent) units.

Developments on the American continent were also positive. Unit sales in the North America region were up 23.0 percent in the period to April to 247,900 (201,600) vehicles, of which 173,700 (131,500; +32.1 percent) were delivered in the United States. The Volkswagen Group handed over 296,900 (295,300; +0.5 percent) vehicles to customers in the South America region during the same period.