Worldwide deliveries in January down 3.4 percent year-on-year to 515,500 vehicles

• Positive momentum from Russia and Brazil
• Market share in China expanded in spite of delivery decline
• Mixed trends in Western Europe, North America weaker

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 delivering 112,200 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 over39,300 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 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 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.

Overview of deliveries by the Volkswagen brand in January:

Deliveries to customers by market	January 2018	January 2019	Change (%)
Europe	135,300	131,300	-3.0%
Western Europe	117,800	112,200	-4.8%
Germany	43,300	39,300	-9.2%
Central and Eastern Europe	17,500	19,100	+9.0%
Russia	5,600	6,200	+10.9%
North America	41,700	38,100	-8.6%
USA	24,700	23,100	-6.7%
South America	37,600	37,000	-1.6%
Brazil	23,900	26,400	+10.8%
Asia-Pacific	308,300	299,100	-3.0%
China incl. HK	297,000	287,900	-3.1%
Worldwide	533,400	515,500	-3.4%

About the Volkswagen brand:

Volkswagen Passenger Cars operates in more than 150 markets worldwide and produces vehicles at more than 50 locations in 14 countries. In 2018, Volkswagen produced around 6.24 million vehicles, including bestsellers such as the Golf, Tiguan, Jetta and Passat. Volkswagen has a current workforce of 198,000 employees around the globe. Added to this are more than 7,700 dealerships with 74,000 employees.

Volkswagen is forging ahead consistently with the further development of automobile production. Electric mobility, smart mobility and digital transformation of the brand are the key strategic issues for the future.

Photo credit: Volkswagen
posted on conceptcarz.com

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