August was Successful Month for Volkswagen Group: 6.8 Percent Increase in Worldwide Deliveries

MUMBAI:
August was a successful month for the Volkswagen Group: Group brands delivered a total of 875,300 vehicles to customers, a rise of 6.8 percent. Europe was the region with the strongest growth: 327,700 vehicles were handed over to customers there, an increase of 21.0 percent compared with August 2017. The strong performance in August continued the Volkswagen Group’s dynamic development since the beginning of the year.
However, Head of Group Sales Fred Kappler expects deliveries in September and October to be lower as a result of the changeover from the NEDC to the WLTP test procedure. “We are doing everything we can to catch up on delivery delays as fast as possible”, Fred Kappler said. “Positive business so far this year will help us cushion the effects of the WLTP changeover.”
Deliveries in the regions developed as follows:
In Europe, the Volkswagen Group reported a 21.0 percent increase in August compared with the same month last year, with deliveries running at 327,700. Europe was therefore the world region with the highest growth rate. The Group performed particularly well in Spain (+54.2 percent), France (+39.1 percent) and the UK (+32.2 percent). Germany proved to be a strong home market, with the Group handing over 104,000 units to customers there, the highest figure in a single European market – this represented a rise of 15.3 percent. Central and Eastern Europe reported 16.9 percent growth, with 64,800 vehicles delivered. Group brands delivered over 3.1 million new vehicles to customers in Europe (+9.9 percent) from January to August.
In North America, the Volkswagen Group continued on its growth path in the US market in August, with a 1.1 percent rise in deliveries. 423,300 vehicles have been handed over to customers in this market since the beginning of the year – 5.7 percent more than for the corresponding period of the previous year. However, this positive trend could not offset the decline in the North America region as a whole due to the tense situation on the overall passenger car market in Mexico. The Group delivered 85,100 vehicles (-4.1 percent) in North America in August, and 631,500 (-0.2 percent) during the course of the year.
In South America, on the other hand, deliveries grew 11.0 percent in August to 55,100 units. The main driver was Brazil (+30.0 percent). Deliveries in the region have grown 13.3 percent since the beginning of the year compared with the corresponding period in 2017.
At 381,500 vehicles, Group deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region in August remained at the level of the previous year, with cumulative deliveries from January to August running at some 2.9 million (+6.8 percent). The reluctance to buy on the part of Chinese customers due to the lower tariffs on imported vehicles which came into effect on July 1, 2018 continued in August: compared with the same month last year, deliveries stagnated. At over 2.6 million, Volkswagen Group deliveries in China have grown 6.7 percent since the beginning of the year.