Volkswagen sees deliveries in January decline

Deliveries in the regions and markets in January developed as follows:

• In Europe, the Volkswagen brand delivered 131,300 vehicles, 3.0 percent down on the same month last year. Markets in Western Europe presented a mixed picture, with Volkswagen delivering112,200 vehicles in total there, a decline of 4.8 percent compared with the previous year. Core markets such as France (+22.6 percent), the UK (+4.4 percent), Italy (+9.6 percent) and Spain (+6.6 percent) recorded growth, sometimes quite significant, but could not compensate for declines in Germany and other markets.

• In the home market of Germany, Volkswagen handed over 39,300 vehicles to customers, 9.2 percent down on the very strong performance in January 2018. Here, as in other markets in Western Europe, the limited availability of petrol engines had an impact. The e-Golf enjoyed continued high demand in Germany, with deliveries growing more than 50 percent compared with the same month last year.

• In Central and Eastern Europe, the signs are still set for growth. Compared with the same month in 2018, Volkswagen grew deliveries 9.0 percent in January to 19,100 vehicles. One growth driver was Russia, where 6,200 vehicles were handed over to customers (+10.9 percent).

• In North America, Volkswagen delivered a total of 38,100 vehicles, a drop of 8.6 percent compared with the previous year. Volkswagen delivered 23,100 vehicles in the USA, a decline of 6.7 percent. The new Jetta enjoyed significant growth of 52 percent and was the most popular model in January, but could not offset the delivery decline for other models. SUVs accounted for a share of 46 percent. The difficult situation in Mexico persisted, with deliveries there down 12.7 percent compared with the same month last year.

• In South America, there was a slight decrease in deliveries. 37,000 vehicles were handed over to customers there, 1.6 percent down on the previous year. Brazil, the largest market in the region, recorded a significant increase of 10.8 percent to 26,400 vehicles. The overall market in Argentina was cut by almost half compared with the previous year as a result of the tense economic situation. In this difficult environment, the Volkswagen brand also saw deliveries fall, although the 26.8 percent decrease was less pronounced than the overall market downturn.

• In the Asia-Pacific region, Volkswagen handed over 299,100 vehicles to customers, 3.0 percent down on the same month last year. This decrease is mainly attributable to developments in China, where customers continued to show a reluctance to buy in an uncertain economic environment. In total, 287,900 customers took delivery of their new Volkswagen, 3.1 percent down on the previous year. The brand therefore continued to grow its share in an overall market that declined significantly more sharply. Volkswagen is benefiting from its up-to-date model portfolio with six SUV families.