OREANDA-NEWS. July 20, 2015. Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler: “Group’s overall development in first half year was satisfactory. Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand was not  immune to current trends in China.”

Vehicle deliveries by the Volkswagen Group in the first half of 2015 continued at a high level and remained virtually stable, again topping the five million mark. In total, 5.04 (January-June 2014: 5.07; -0.5 percent) million vehicles were handed over to customers from January to June. With deliveries running at 840,400 (June 2014: 877,900; -4.3 percent) units, the situation in June was tense. “Overall, Volkswagen Group brands recorded satisfactory development in the first half of the year in what has in some cases been a difficult market environment. Developments in South America and Russia remain tense, as do conditions in China, where growth on the overall market has been shrinking steadily since the beginning of this year and became negative in June for the first time in several years. As the market leader, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in particular was not immune to these changes currently affecting the market”, Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday.

Group brands grew deliveries on the overall European market, in some countries quite significantly, in the first half of the year, handing over a total of 2.11 (2.04; +3.7 percent) million vehicles to customers. 1.14 (1.07) million customers took possession of a new vehicle in Western Europe (excluding Germany), an increase of 6.9 percent. 668,300 (626,100; +6.7 percent) vehicles were handed over on the home market of Germany. The Group delivered 304,000 (343,900; -11.6 percent) vehicles in Central and Eastern Europe in the period to June, of which 84,300 (142,600; -40.9 percent) units were handed over to customers on the Russian market where the situation remains tense.

Deliveries in the North America region from January to June rose by 6.0 percent to 451,200 (425,900) units, of which 295,000 (288,000; +2.4 percent) were handed over to customers in the United States. In the South America region, where conditions remain challenging, the Volkswagen Group delivered 297,300 (383,700; -22.5 percent) units during the same period, of which 211,800 (301,000; -29.6 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

Chiefly as a result of the downturn in Volkswagen brand deliveries in China, the Group handed over 1.94 (2.00; -3.0 percent) million vehicles to customers in the Asia-Pacific region in the first half year, of which 1.74 (1.81; -3.9 percent) million units were delivered in China, the Group’s largest single market.

Outline of developments at Group brands

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 2.95 (3.07; -3.9 percent) million vehicles to customers worldwide in the first half of 2015.

The premium brand Audi handed over 902,400 (869,400) vehicles worldwide from January to June, an increase of 3.8 percent.

The sports car manufacturer Porsche delivered a total of 114,000 (87,800) vehicles in the period to June, representing an increase of 29.8 percent compared with the previous year.

The Czech brand SKODA delivered 544,300 (522,500) vehicles from January to June, a rise of 4.2 percent.

The Spanish car manufacturer SEAT handed over 216,500 (200,100; +8.2 percent) vehicles to customers worldwide in the first half year.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 223,000 (217,700; +2.4 percent) vehicles during the same period.

The MAN brand delivered 49,900 (57,600; -13.5 percent) units from January to June.

The Swedish brand Scania delivered 37,000 (38,400; -3.7 percent) heavy trucks and buses to customers in the period to June.