Volkswagen Group dips in November due in part to press releases of the new Passat.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 5.59 (January-November 2013: 5.48; +2.0 percent) million vehicles to customers from January to November. “The challenging developments on markets worldwide – above all in Eastern Europe and South America – will continue for the remainder of this year. 

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand handled these challenges successfully during the course of the year, but was not entirely immune to their impact”, Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, commented in Wolfsburg on Monday. 

The brand delivered 508,400 (November 2013: 529,500; -4.0 percent) vehicles to customers in November. Klingler explained that one of the main factors affecting deliveries in November was the Passat model change, and added: “The new Passat has been enjoying a strong tailwind since it made its market debut two weeks ago. We are in a positive mood, given the model’s winning performance in numerous comparison tests plus the high level of orders received from all over Europe.”

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.54 (1.51; +2.4 percent) million vehicles on the overall European market in the period to November, of which 785,500 (746,800; +5.2 percent) were handed over to customers in Western Europe (excluding Germany). 

534,400 (516,900; +3.4 percent) customers took possession of a new model in the home market of Germany during the same period. Deliveries in Central and Eastern Europe continued to decline as a result of uncertainty in the region. 221,800 (242,300; -8.4 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers there. The company delivered 114,200 (142,700; -20.0 percent) models in Russia.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 533,400 (567,800; -6.1 percent) vehicles in the North America region. In the United States, monthly deliveries continued to pick up in November, confirming the trend from October. In total, Volkswagen Passenger Cars handed over 332,900 (373,700; -10.9 percent) vehicles to customers in the United States from January to November. 

Due to the downward market trend in the South America region, deliveries there in the period to November decreased to 605,300 (737,400; -17.9 percent) units, of which 492,200 (567,500; -13.3 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

The brand reported an 10.6 percent increase in the Asia-Pacific region in the period to November, handing over 2.72 (2.46) million vehicles to customers there. 2.52 (2.26; +11.9 percent) units were delivered in China (incl. Hong Kong) during the same period.