This is a new record was set by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars division in 2012 with the delivery of 5.74 million vehicles, which is 12.7% higher than the 5.09 million vehicles delivered in 2011. In December 2012, the brand posted a 30.6% increase with the delivery of 517,900 units compared to the 396,600 units sold in December 2011. Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said that the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand experienced a strong increase even when market conditions were difficult at certain times. The new Golf had an outstanding start and considerably boosted the competitiveness of the brand. He added that 2013 will be a “very demanding year” but that it is “well prepared.”
For the year through December, Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 1.70 million vehicles on the overall European market, a 1.2% drop compared to the 1.72 million units delivered in 2011. The brand experienced major growth in Central and Eastern Europe, where there was a 22.4% climb in deliveries to 267,100 vehicles, compared to 218,100 units in the previous period. Sales in Russia (the largest single market in the region) rose by 39.6% to 164,700 units compared to 118,000 units in the prior period.
Deliveries in Western Europe (with the exception of Germany) dropped by 6.9% to 844,500 units compared to the 906,900 units previously because of the challenges faced by the overall markets. Meanwhile in Germany, Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 586,100 vehicles in 2012, a 1.2% drop compared to 593,300 in 2011. A strong increase of 23.2% for the entire year was recorded in the Asia-Pacific region, with deliveries of 2.37 million in 2012 compared to 1.93 million in 2011. Of this figure, 2.15 million were delivered to China (including Hong Kong), the largest single market in the region. This is 24.8% higher than the 1.72 million units delivered in China in 2011. In the American continent, sales of Volkswagen Passenger Cars grew by 25.5% to 623,300 units. It had sold 496,700 units the previous year.
