OREANDA-NEWS. The Volkswagen Group handed over 1.54 million vehicles to customers in January and February 2016, a rise of 1.4 percent. At 693,300 units, Group deliveries in February almost matched the prior-year level. “The Volkswagen Group and its brands made a stable start to the new year. Europe in particular saw positive development in February. However, the situation remains tense in some regions. The overall economic situation in Brazil, for example, is still challenging”, Fred Kappler, Head of Group Sales at Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, said.

The Volkswagen Group delivered 312,000 new vehicles to customers in Europe in February, an increase of 5.7 percent compared with the previous year. Western Europe in particular developed well (+6.5 percent), with strong momentum coming above all from the home market of Germany (+7.7 percent) and the markets in Southern Europe. The markets in Central and Eastern Europe also recorded slight growth in this period, but the continued tense situation in Russia (-17.0 percent) had a negative impact.

The company delivered 123,400 vehicles in the North America region during the first two months of the year. 37,700 new vehicles (-7.2 percent) were registered in the United States, the region’s largest single market, in February. 34,100 units were handed over to customers in the South America region in the same month, of which 21,700 were delivered in Brazil. The downturn on the South American market continues as a result of the poor overall economic situation in Brazil.

Deliveries in China were affected by the late Chinese New Year. At 227,400 units, the Volkswagen Group maintained deliveries at approximately the same level as the previous year. In total, new registrations in the Asia-Pacific region in January and February rose by 5.7 percent.