The Volkswagen Group sold 652,500 vehicles last January – the best since January 1974. This represents a 1.3% increase if it is compared to the 644,200 cars that were sold during the same period of 2011.
Regarding Europe, deliveries made by the Volkswagen Group remained generally stable, accounting for a total of 259,900 car sales - down from the 262,500 registered last year.
While customers in Western Europe (excluding Germany) showed slightly greater caution than a year earlier, purchasing 144,400 vehicles (from 156,700; -7.8%); deliveries in Central and Eastern Europe grew by 33.6% to 41,400 from 31,000 cars.
In Germany the Volkswagen Group delivered 74,100 vehicles, down by 1% on last year. The Volkswagen Group sold over 53,500 vehicles (27.7% more than in January 2011) to customers in the North American region, of which 36,700 units were delivered in the United States (39.5% increase).
Regarding other regions, the car maker also increased its sales in the South America region, where customers purchased up to 78,100 new vehicles in the first month of the year. This is 4.6% more if compared with the previous year's 74,700 car sales.
According to the car brand, deliveries in the Asia and the Pacific region remained stable. During the first month of 2012, however, deliveries didn't match last year's level. The manufacturer delivered 233,500 vehicles, - 2.5% less than the year before. Nevertheless, deliveries in India increased by 28.4% - from 7,400 to 9,400 vehicles.
"We have made an encouraging start, but 2012 will be a challenging year. As expected, the prevailing economic uncertainty is impacting the automotive industry. We will continue to keep a very close eye on the market situation, particularly in Europe," the Group Board Member for Sales, Christian Klingler.
Good news for the brand is that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles reported a 10.5% increase in January, delivering 39,500 light commercial vehicles in January 2012, more than the 35,700 sold last year.
Related used car searches
Search used Volkswagen
