Words by Ganesh Murthy
Volkswagen Group, the third largest automotive manufacturer in the world, has managed to deliver over 1 million cars worldwide, across brands. It marks a 6.6 per cent YoY growth, with 1.01 million units being delivered – a record in their history.
Commenting on the achievement by the VW group, Fred Kappler, head of group sales, said, “This record result demonstrates the strength of the Volkswagen Group. Vehicles from our brands are thrilling more and more customers worldwide – our new SUVs in particular are very popular. China continues to play an important role in this respect.”
The German carmaker saw a 1.5 per cent rise in Europe by handing over 404,500 vehicles to customers, followed by a 13.8 per cent rise in central and eastern Europe while North America saw a rise of 13.5 per cent with 85,900 vehicles handed over to customers compared to previous year, with the Atlas and Tiguan attributing to the change. Germany on the other hand saw a decline of 3.3 per cent. South America meanwhile contributed a 68.4 per cent rise in September with 47,800 vehicles being sold, where markets like Brazil and Argentina proved favorable . The Asia-Pacific region saw an increase of 6.1 per cent compared to previous year, with 436,700 vehicles handed over to customers. The main market contributing to the rise was China, due to the success of the newly launched VW Terramont and Tiguan , the Audi A4L and the recently launched Skoda Kodiaq gaining popularity there. VW group owned SEAT brand contributed the most with 13.4 per cent growth worldwide followed by Scania at 8.9 per cent and MAN at 8.4 per cent.