Volkswagen sales rise only 3.4 per cent

Despite a difficult year in Europe, the Volkswagen passenger car brand closed 2013 with a 3.4 per cent rise in sales to a new record, delivering 5.93 million vehicles to customers. This compares with 5.74 million in 2012.

Christian Klingler, board member for sales and marketing for the Volkswagen Group commented. “We face new and difficult challenges in 2014, but we are very well prepared thanks to our young and sustainable product range.”

In the European market, where the situation remained difficult, VW delivered 1.64 million vehicles (1.70 million in 2012; or a drop of 3.7 per cent). Of these 263,300 (267,100; -1.4 per cent) went to customers in the Central and Eastern Europe region.

The brand delivered 156,300 (164,700; -5.1 per cent) units in Russia, the region’s largest single market. Deliveries in Western Europe (excluding Germany) were down 3.9 per cent to 811,800 (844,500) units. Volkswagen passenger cars delivered 560,100 (586,100; -4.4 per cent) vehicles to customers in Germany in 2013.

In Asia-Pacific, the VW brand achieved 15.0 per cent increase in deliveries for the full year, handing over 2.73 (2.37) million vehicles to customers, of which 2.51 (2.15; +16.6 per cent) million were delivered in China (incl. Hong Kong), the region’s largest single market.

In North America, VW vehicle sales fell to 616,800 units from 623,300 in 2012 of which 407,700 (438,100; - 6.9 per cent) units were delivered in the US.

In South America, the picture was dire with sales down 13.9 per cent to 720,400 from 836,600 in 2012. Sales were affected by an adverse business in Brazil with sales down 16.7 per cent to 550,800 compared with 661,000 in 2012.                ∎