Volkswagen first quarter sales rise 5%

Volkswagen Group delivered 2.27 million vehicles in the period January to March 2013, a rise of 5.1 per cent on the same period in 2012 of 2.16 million.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.43 million units world-wide from January to March compared with 1.36 million in 2012 – a rise of 5.2 per cent. The brand developed well in the Asia-Pacific region, where deliveries ran at 653,500, up 20.9 per cent on 540,600 in 2012. In North America, Volkswagen Passenger Cars sales rose 7.3 per cent to 145,700 (135,700), while deliveries on the overall European market, which remained difficult with a fall of 10.3 per cent ran at 396,300 units.

Audi delivered 369,500 vehicles (an increase of 6.8 per cent on 2012) worldwide in the first quarter. Deliveries developed well in the Asia-Pacific region, where 124,200 (108,100; +14.9 per cent) models were sold. Audi delivered 41,100 (36,000) vehicles in the North America region during the same period, an increase of 14.1 per cent.

Porsche became a Volkswagen Group brand on August 1, 2012 and delivered a total of 37,000 vehicles in the period to March. Demand for models built by the Stuttgart-based carmaker was strong in the Asia-Pacific region, where 11,700 vehicles were sold, and in the North America region, where deliveries ran at 10,500.

ŠKODA delivered a total of 220,400 (a drop of 9.2 per cent) vehicles in the first three months. The Czech automaker handed over 53,900 vehicles, down 11.5 per cent, units to customers in Central and Eastern Europe and, as a result of a downturn in India, 65,600 units compared with 72,600 last year to the Asia-Pacific region.

SEAT delivered 87,100 vehicles world-wide, up 8.7 per cent, in the period to March, continuing the upward trend of the first two months. Deliveries from the Spanish car maker in Germany rose from 13,100 to 16,600 units, an increase of 26.9 per cent. In the UK, the company delivered 11,500 (10,900; a rise of 5.2 per cent), and Mexico, where 5,500 (5,100; +7.7 per cent) vehicles were delivered.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles returned sales of 124,200 compared with 130,700 in the first quarter last year, of which 70,200 units (80,400) a fall of 12.6 per cent, were delivered on the overall European market. In contrast, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles recorded a 13.7 per cent increase in the Asia-Pacific region, where the company sold 4,400 (3,900) vehicles.                                          ∎