Volkswagen Group still struggles with monthly sales lagging but year to date are still slightly ahead.

• 0.8 percent increase in the first three months
• 967,100 vehicles delivered in March
• Fred Kappler, Head of Group Sales: “The Group record edits best start to the year in China since entering the market there.”

Deliveries by the Volkswagen Group rose by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2016. The Group handed over 2.5 million vehicles to customers from January to March 2016. At 967,100 units, Group deliveries in March almost matched the prior-year level. “There was a solid growth in the Europe and Asia-Pacific regions in the first quarter of 2016. 

The Group recorded its best start to the year in China since entering the market there,” Fred Kappler, Head of Group Sales at Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, said.

The Volkswagen Group delivered 447,600 new vehicles to customers in Europe in March, an increase of 2.7 percent compared with the previous year. While developments in Western Europe (+1.9 percent) were positive, there was a slight decrease on the home market of Germany (-2.5 percent). Momentum in France, Italy and Spain was particularly strong. The markets in Central and Eastern Europe also recorded strong growth in this period (+8.8 percent), but the continued tense situation in Russia (-3.3 percent) had an impact.

The company handed over 201,500 vehicles to customers in the North America region in the first quarter. 49,900 new vehicles (-3.7 percent) were delivered in the USA, the region’s largest single market, in March. 40,000 vehicles were handed over to customers in the South America region in the same month, of which 26,000 were delivered in Brazil where the market decline continued as a result of the macroeconomic situation in the country.

The Asia-Pacific region recorded solid growth in the first quarter. Vehicle deliveries in the region during this period rose overall by 4.3 percent to 1,045,400 units. 955,500 vehicles were handed over to customers in China in the first quarter, representing an increase of 6.4 percent compared with the prior year. A total of 328,000 vehicles were delivered in March.

Overview of deliveries by the Volkswagen Group:

Deliveries to customers by markets	March 2016	March 2015	Change (%)	Jan.- March 2016	Jan.- March 2015	Change (%)
Europe	447,600	435,800	+2.7	1,052,100	1,018,400	+3.3
Western Europe	390,300	383,100	+1.9	901,100	870,900	+3.5
Germany	124,400	127,600	-2.5	319,500	314,800	+1.5
Central and Eastern Europe	57,200	52,600	+8.8	151,000	147,500	+2.3
Russia	14,300	14,800	-3.3	36,400	43,500	-16.3
North America	78,100	78,700	-0.7	201,500	205,800	-2.1
USA	49,900	51,800	-3.7	124,000	131,600	-5.7
South America	40,000	52,900	-24.5	110,600	152,800	-27.6
Brazil	26,000	38,700	-33.0	71,100	110,900	-35.9
Asia-Pacific	364,200	357,900	+1.8	1,045,400	1,002,200	+4.3
China	328,000	315,400	+4.0	955,500	898,400	+6.4
Worldwide	967,100	968,600	-0.2	2,508,300	2,487,700	+0.8

Deliveries to customers by brands	March 2016	March 2015	Change (%)	Jan.- March 2016	Jan.- March 2015	Change (%)
Volkswagen Passenger Cars	543,700	558,700	-2.7	1,459,500	1,479,400	-1.3
Audi	186,100	178,000	+4.6	455,800	438,200	+4.0
ŠKODA	106,300	102,100	+4.2	276,600	265,100	+4.3
SEAT	46,500	46,400	+0.2	102,900	102,700	+0.2
Porsche	20,900	20,200	+3.4	56,000	51,100	+9.5
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles	46,100	45,700	+0.8	113,100	108,500	+4.3
MAN	9,200	9,400	-2.6	23,400	22,100	+6.3
Scania	7,200	6,700	+7.3	18,400	17,500	+5.4
Volkswagen Group (total)	967,100	968,600	-0.2	2,508,300	2,487,700	+0.8