Volkswagen continues to decline, and there is no sign of growth coming, at least the other brands are growing.

• At 476,700 units, deliveries in April slightly below previous year
• Brand Board Member for Sales Jürgen Stackmann: "China along with Central and Eastern Europe remain only growth regions for Volkswagen brand"

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand handed over 1.94 million vehicles to customers worldwide in the first four months of the year, thus almost matching the prior-year level (1.98 million). 476,700 units were delivered in April 2016, 3.9 percent fewer than the comparable month last year (April 2015: 496,000). 

"At the moment, China along with Central and Eastern Europe are the only growth regions for the Volkswagen brand," Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales, said, commenting on the situation. 

"However, we are pleased to note that deliveries in the North America region rose in April for the first time this year, and were 4.0 percent higher than the same month in 2015."

In terms of regional developments worldwide, Volkswagen delivered 579,500 vehicles to customers on the overall European market from January to April, on a par with the prior-year level. 

At 511,000 units, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand kept deliveries in Western Europe almost stable. Deliveries to customers in Central and Eastern Europe in this period rose by 4.1 percent. While the situation in Russia continued to decline (-10.2 percent), there was a marked increase in deliveries in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. 

According to Stackmann, "the Tiguan is currently being launched successfully on European markets and ramp-up is in full swing. We expect positive momentum for the remainder of this year from this important new product. The same applies for the Touran, the Bora and the Magotan in China."

The brand delivered 50,700 units in the North America region in the fourth month of this year, an increase of 4.0 percent compared with April 2015. Deliveries developed particularly well on the Mexican market. 

In April, 31,900 vehicles were handed over to customers in South America, where the overall market situation remained difficult. The year-on-year downturn in Brazil is still clearly noticeable; however, the refreshed Volkswagen Gol launched at the beginning of the year was the bestselling model in 10 of the country's 26 states in April 2016.

In China, Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered a total of 939,400 vehicles to customers in the first four months of the year, a 4.4 percent increase on the comparable prior-year period. This is a new delivery record for the first four months of a year.

Overview of deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand:

Deliveries to customers by markets	April 2016	April 2015	Change (%)	Jan.-April 2016	Jan.-April 2015	Change (%)
Europe	150,300	151,700	-0.9	579,500	582,000	-0.4
Western Europe	131,400	134,500	-2.3	511,000	516,200	-1.0
Germany	52,600	53,900	-2.4	191,300	198,100	-3.4
Central and Eastern Europe	18,900	17,200	+9.7	68,600	65,900	+4.1
Russia	5,900	6,200	-3.4	21,800	24,300	-10.2
North America	50,700	48,700	+4.0	178,300	185,100	-3.7
USA	27,100	30,000	-9.7	96,400	109,200	-11.7
South America	31,900	38,800	-17.8	120,300	167,400	-28.2
Brazil	21,400	28,100	-23.9	80,900	126,100	-35.8
Asia-Pacific	229,200	236,600	-3.1	999,900	972,000	+2.9
China	216,700	221,100	-2.0	939.400	899,400	+4.4
Worldwide	476,700	496,000	-3.9	1,936,200	1,975,500	-2.0

More than 520,000 vehicles delivered to customers in the first month of the year for Volkswagen,

• More than 520,000 vehicles delivered to customers in the first month of the year
• Brand Board of Management Member Jürgen Stackmann: “Challenging market situation continues into the new year."
• Best monthly performance in China in the Volkswagen brand’s history

Deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand made a generally stable start to the new year. 521,400 vehicles were handed over to customers in the first month of this year, an increase of 2.8 percent compared with the same month in 2015. “The challenging situation on world markets and its impact on the Volkswagen brand continue into the new year. 

In light of that I am satisfied with the way the year has begun”, is how Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales, summarized the situation. Stackmann added: “Moreover, we are facing a particularly challenging year. 

Not merely in terms of deliveries, but above all for our service team.” Implementation of the technical measures for diesel engines approved by the authorities has just got underway and started well. 

“That is one of the biggest organizational challenges we are facing as a service organization”, Stackmann commented. All partners are well prepared and very highly motivated to make the workshop visit as pleasant as possible for customers.

The company handed over 121,100 vehicles to customers on the overall European market in the first month of the year. Deliveries in Western Europe were almost stable (-2.6 percent). In Central and Eastern Europe, on the other hand, deliveries were 6.3 percent down in light of the situation in Russia. More than 40,000 vehicles were handed over to customers on the home market of Germany.

38,600 (-7.6 percent) vehicles were delivered to customers in the North America region in the first month of the year. The general market situation in the South America region at the beginning of the year remained very challenging.

The Volkswagen brand began the New Year in China, the largest single market, with a 15.4 percent increase compared with the previous year. The company delivered over 300,000 units to customers in January. Stackmann commented: “That is not just positive momentum, it is also the best monthly performance in China in the Volkswagen brand’s history.”

This rise had an effect on the entire Asia-Pacific region, where more than 320,000 vehicles were delivered in total.

Overview of deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand:

Deliveries to customers by markets	January 2016	January 2015	Change (%)
Europe	121,100	124,900	-3.1
Western Europe	106,200	109,000	-2.6
Germany	40,600	42,900	-5.2
Central and Eastern Europe	14,900	15,900	-6.3
Russia	4,500	6,200	-27.7
North America	38,600	41,800	-7.6
USA	20,100	23,500	-14.6
South America	29,000	45,200	-35.8
Brazil	19,500	34,200	-42.9
Asia-Pacific	320,400	282,000	+13.6
China	306,900	265,900	+15.4
Worldwide	521,400	507,100	+2.8