OREANDA-NEWS. Volkswagen Group China today announced figures for the first nine months of 2015: together with its two Chinese Joint Ventures, Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, the Group delivered 2.58 million passenger vehicles to customers in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, including around 137,000 imported vehicles. “The overall market in China has witnessed an upward sales trend, particularly in September, and this has been mirrored by a significant increase in deliveries for Volkswagen Group China. We expect this positive trend to continue until the end of the year,” said Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft as well as President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

“As market leader, we have steadily increased our performance in the market this year and have experienced a continuous gain in market share,” Heizmann explained. “We expect to continue on this trajectory as we head towards year end and maintain a positive outlook for fourth quarter results in 2015.” As the world’s fastest-growing automobile market, Volkswagen Group China remains optimistic about future growth in China, particularly in Tier 3, 4 and 5 cities, with a burgeoning middle-class and low rates of car ownership. The company will continue to forge ahead with the expansion of its already broad product portfolio, consisting of 148 models that range from the compact class through to SUVs and large saloons.

The Volkswagen brand witnessed deliveries of 1.91 (2.07; -7.4 per cent) million units from January to September, once again confirming its clear leadership in the Chinese automotive market. The brand experienced stronger sales in September with 235,300, being the strongest month in the third quarter.

The Audi brand remains market leader in the premium segment, with September sales increasing 2.9 per cent over the same month in 2014, witnessing deliveries of almost 53,100 vehicles. Deliveries during the first nine months of 2015 reached 414,400 (415,700; -0.3 per cent) cars in China and Hong Kong.

SKODA continues to gain market share in China, with deliveries of more than 199,700 (198,200) vehicles, a 0.7 per cent rise compared to the first nine months of 2014.

Luxury sports car brand Porsche maintained solid growth in the first nine months of 2015 through deliveries of over 44,200 automobiles, a 35.7 per cent increase over the same period last year. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered almost 3,000 (3,100; -3.0 per cent) units across Mainland China and Hong Kong from January to September. With deliveries of around 200 cars, Lamborghini witnessed 47.9 per cent growth.