Volkswagen Groups holds its own on international automobile markets

Vehicle deliveries of the Volkswagen Group in May increased slightly by 1.5 percent as the Group continued to buck the trend on international automobile markets and hold its own. Total deliveries amounted to 556,700 (May 2008: 548,500)* vehicles. This means that 2.49 (January - May 2008: 2.68; -7.0 percent)** million vehicles were delivered to customers in the first five months of this year.

The world automobile market took a tumble of roughly 20 percent between January and May. "We have to some extent been able to uncouple ourselves from an overall market that remains very weak thanks to our strong, young product range plus the additional sales advantage that comes from the comparatively high residual value of our used cars. Overall we are benefiting from our strong position in Germany, Brazil and China," Detlef Wittig, Executive Vice President, Group Sales and Marketing, commented in Wolfsburg on Friday. "However, with the exception of China, global passenger car markets are not showing any signs of recovery. It is not clear whether the markets have hit rock bottom yet," Wittig added.

Volkswagen brand deliveries in May up 10.2 percent

The Volkswagen brand produced a very pleasing performance in these difficult conditions: the core brand grew deliveries in May by 10.2 percent to 351,000 (318,500) passenger cars. There was strong demand for models such as the mass-market Tiguan and Golf as well as the very successful Chinese models Lavida, Passat Lingyu, Jetta and New Bora. In Germany, growth ran at 53.9 percent to 71,400 passenger cars. 98,900 (67,300) vehicles were delivered in China, an increase of 46.9 percent. Vehicle deliveries for the first five months of 2009 totaled 1.57 million, approximately on a par with the previous year

Decline in deliveries by Audi, Škoda and SEAT less severe than overall market

The Audi and Škoda brands stood their ground in May, reporting only single-digit percentage declines in the number of vehicles delivered (and therefore performing better than the 20 percent downturn in the global market). Audi deliveries fell by 6.1 percent to 82,800 (88,200) units. Sales of the A3, A4 Avant, A5 Coupé and Q5 models were good. In Western Europe, Audi achieved the leading position as the most successful premium brand thanks to growing market share. In the USA, Audi improved its position on the premium market by two percentage points to a share of 8.8 percent. In China, the brand again reported record figures, with delivery of 12,500 vehicles representing a 27.8 percent increase compared with the previous year. The Czech brand Škoda delivered 59,600 (64,300; -7.3 percent) vehicles, with a very strong rise of 65 percent to 16,700 units in Germany. The brand also reported a strong rise of 56 percent in China, delivering 7,700 vehicles. SEAT also benefited from the scrapping premium in Germany with a 113 percent rise in deliveries to 7,100 units. Overall, SEAT reported a 10.4 percent decline in deliveries in May to 31,600 (35,300) units.

Regional developments varied - Strong increase in Germany and China

The turmoil on global automobile markets led to very different trends in the various sales regions. The Volkswagen Group reported significant growth in the key markets of Germany and China. On the Group's home market, deliveries grew by 36.0 percent to 127,100 (93,400) vehicles. Here, the scrapping premium continued to have a positive effect. 119,200 (82,100) vehicles were delivered in China, representing an increase of as much as 45.2 percent compared with May 2008. Volkswagen Group deliveries in Brazil rose by some 4 percent. In Europe, Volkswagen delivered a total of 303,400 (324,100; -6.4 percent) vehicles. The poor market situation in Spain and several countries in Central and Eastern Europe in particular held the overall region back.

In South America, the Group delivered 65,000 (67,300; -3.5 percent) vehicles in May on an overall market that fell by 13 percent. 42,200 (47,200) vehicles were delivered in North America, corresponding to a 10.7 percent decline on an overall market that was 32 percent down. In contrast, the Asia/Pacific region developed well - chiefly as a result of the successes in China. In a market that grew 5 percent, Volkswagen delivered 130,600 (94,500) passenger cars, a rise of roughly 39 percent.

*excluding Scania
**excluding Scania, including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Trucks and Buses for January/February 2009