The Volkswagen AG delivered slightly more vehicles in the first quarter than in the previous year. With 2.1 million cars, the group sold a good 3 percent more vehicles, as the company announced on Wednesday in Wolfsburg. The main growth drivers were China, South and North America. In Western Europe as well as on the home market Germany Sales fell by 1 percent in each case.
Vehicles with combustion engines increased by 4 percent to 1.97 million units in the first three months. They more than offset the 3 percent decline in fully electric models to 136,400 vehicles. Both Electric cars Deliveries in Europe fell by 24 percent; strong increases in China were unable to offset this.
However, incoming orders in Western Europe developed positively from January to March, Volkswagen said. More than twice as many purely electric models were ordered as in the same period last year, so the order backlog in this segment is currently around 160,000 vehicles. Hildegard Wortmann (57), member of the extended group management for sales, was confident “that we will grow in this segment both in our home region and worldwide for the year as a whole.”
Porsche sales collapse
While sales of the core brand Volkswagen and Seat developed positively, high-priced brands such as Porsche fewer sold since the beginning of the year. Accordingly, the Stuttgart car manufacturer delivered around 77,640 vehicles, around 4 percent less than in the same period last year. The decline is due to declines in the most important car market, China and North America. Almost a quarter fewer vehicles were exported there.
The company cites several reasons for the 24 percent decline in deliveries to China: The key factors include the continued tense economic situation in the market and a strong period in the previous year due to the first Corona catch-up effects. The car manufacturer explains the 23 percent drop to North America primarily due to customs-related delays in the delivery of some models. In Germany, however, the number of vehicles delivered grew by 37 percent.
This year, Porsche is launching new versions of the Panamera and the Taycan electric sports car as well as the fully electric Macan compact SUV. The classic 911 will be refreshed in early summer. In addition, the new Cayenne will be launched in 2023. The transition period between model series means that fewer cars are sold.