VW group posts improved March and Q1 figures

• 864,400 vehicles delivered in March / +0.2 percent*
• Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler: “Stable first-quarter development for the Group. March clearly shows that markets worldwide are becoming even more difficult.”

The Volkswagen Group delivered 2.27 (January-March 2012: 2.16; +5.1 percent)* million vehicles from January to March. The company handed over 864,400 (March 2012: 862,700; +0.2 percent)* vehicles to customers in the month of March. “The Volkswagen Group showed stable development at a high level in the first quarter and performed slightly better than the overall passenger car market. Positive momentum was maintained in North America and China. Almost all other regions, however, particularly the markets in Western Europe, remain affected by uncertainty which is in some cases considerable. The data for March clearly show that the markets are becoming even more difficult,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday.

Group brands delivered 881,600 (936,900; -5.9 percent) vehicles on the overall European market in the first quarter as demand for vehicles took a general downturn; of this figure, 477,400 (507,100; -5.9 percent) units were handed over in Western Europe (excluding Germany). In the home market of Germany, 262,100 (282,400; -7.2 percent) customers took possession of a new car, while Europe’s largest automaker delivered 142,100 (147,400; -3.6 percent) vehicles in the Central and Eastern Europe region. The delivery trend in Russia remained slightly positive, with 67,300 (66,000; +2.0 percent) units handed over to customers.

Developments on the American continent were mixed. Deliveries in the North America region from January to March grew 14.9 percent to 205,700 (179,100), of which 142,800 (124,400; +14.7 percent) vehicles were delivered in the United States. In the South America region, on the other hand, there was a 4.5 percent decline to 219,200 (229,400) units, of which 160,600 (164,500; -2.4 percent) vehicles were handed over in Brazil.

Group figures for the Asia-Pacific region remained encouraging. 860,700 (726,100; +18.5 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers there in the first quarter, of which 769,200 (633,900; +21.3 percent) units were delivered in China, the Group’s largest single market. Deliveries in India, however, fell to 25,900 (34,100; -24.0 percent) units.

Outline of developments at Group brands

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.43 (1.36; +5.2 percent) million vehicles to customers worldwide from January to March. The brand continued to develop well in the Asia-Pacific region, where deliveries ran at 653,500 (540,600; +20.9 percent). In the North America region, Volkswagen Passenger Cars handed over 145,700 (135,700; +7.3 percent) vehicles to customers, while deliveries on the overall European market, which remained difficult, ran at 396,300 (441,800; -10.3 percent) units.

Audi delivered 369,500 (346,100; +6.8 percent) vehicles worldwide in the first quarter. Deliveries by the premium brand from Ingolstadt developed well in the Asia-Pacific region, where 124,200 (108,100; +14.9 percent) models were handed over to customers. Audi delivered 41,100 (36,000) vehicles in the North America region during the same period, an increase of 14.1 percent.

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

ŠKODA delivered a total of 220,400 (242,700; -9.2 percent) vehicles in the first three months. The Czech automaker handed over 53,900 (60,900; -11.5 percent) units to customers in Central and Eastern Europe and – as a result of a downturn in India – 65,600 (72,600; -9.7 percent) vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region.

SEAT delivered 87,100 (80,100; +8.7 percent) vehicles worldwide in the period to March, continuing the upward trend of the first two months. Deliveries by the Spanish brand developed particularly well in Germany, where 16,600 (13,100) units, equivalent to an increase of 26.9 percent, were handed over, in the UK, where the company delivered 11,500 (10,900; +5.2 percent), and Mexico, where 5,500 (5,100; +7.7 percent) vehicles were delivered.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles handed over 124,200 (130,700; -5.0 percent) vehicles to customers in the first quarter, of which 70,200 (80,400; -12.6 percent) units were delivered on the overall European market. In contrast, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles recorded a 13.7 percent increase in the Asia-Pacific region, where the company handed over 4,400 (3,900) vehicles to customers.