VW is keeping a very close eye on the markets – especially in Central Europe and South America.
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 507,100 vehicles to customers worldwide to customers worldwide in the first month of this year, -2.8% compared to 521,600 during the same month of the prior year.
In a damage control statement that is clearly intended to shape expectations, VW said earlier this week “Deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand show we are facing a challenging year. Volkswagen was not immune to the uncertainties in some regions that have continued into the current year.”
Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, commented in Wolfsburg on Wednesday that global deliveries during the first month of the year were mixed.
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand sold 124,900 (126,100; -1.0%) vehicles to customers on the overall European market in January. Compared with the same month of the prior year, 66,100 (66,200; -0.1%) were delivered in Western Europe (excluding Germany). The company sold 42,900 (41,400; +3.4%) vehicles in Germany though. Customers took possession of 15,900 (18,500; -14.2%) Volkswagens in Central and Eastern Europe in January, of which only 6,200 (8,600; -28.3%) were delivered in the ailing Russian economy.
The VW brand delivered 282,000 (285,300; -1.2%) vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region in January, and 265,900 (267,800; -0.7%) to customers in China (includes Hong Kong). In contrast, deliveries in the North America region grew to 41,800 (39,700; +5.3%). Volkswagen sold 23,500 vehicles to customers in the United States, matching the figure for January of last year. Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 45,200 (55,200; -18.1%) units in the South America region, of which 34,200 (40,300; -15.2%) went to customers in Brazil.
