Volkswagen Group China holds market position despite overall slowdown in the first six months of 2015

Volkswagen Group China today announced figures for the first half of 2015: together with its two Chinese Joint Ventures, Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, the Group delivered 1,743,000 passenger vehicles to customers from January to June this year. “Faced with the ‘new normal’ market conditions, Volkswagen Group China plans to maintain our clear lead in the market. This year alone we will launch a total of 60 new models and variants for a more diversified choice across different market segments, 15 of which are being locally produced in China, for China,” said Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft as well as President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

“With China being a key market for the Volkswagen Group, we aim for long-term qualitative growth,” Heizmann continued. “We are the clear market leader in the A and B segments, where 6 out of the 10 bestselling volume models are Volkswagen brand vehicles.”

In the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Volkswagen Group China and its two joint ventures, Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen, delivered 1,743,000 (1,814,100; -3.9 per cent) vehicles from January to June, including over 91,200 imported vehicles. This consolidates the Group’s number one position in China, with more than an 8 per cent lead over the nearest competitor.

With a total of 1,297,600 units (1,390,500; -6.7 per cent) delivered in the first half of the year, the Volkswagen brand will continue to provide high-quality vehicles to customers through a growing product portfolio.

Audi continues to lead China’s premium market. The brand increased its deliveries in China and Hong Kong by 1.9 percent to almost 273,900 cars during the first half of the year. With close to 65,800 Audi Q3 and A3 models sold from January to June, China became the largest compact car market for Audi worldwide in 2015. In addition, the brand is best positioned in the important SUV market, with both the Audi Q3 and Q5 continuing to lead their respective segments.

ŠKODA continues to enjoy growth and high brand visibility in China, with deliveries of 138,300 vehicles, a 5.8 per cent rise as compared to the first six months of 2014. With production of the new Fabia currently in ramp-up phase and the launch of the third generation Superb in the second half of 2015, ŠKODA is looking to continue the positive trend of the first six months.

Volkswagen Group witnessed growth momentum in the luxury segment, with premium sports car manufacturer Porsche delivering around 29,400 automobiles from January to June, an impressive 48.4 per cent increase over the same period in 2014. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles saw a notable 12.2 per cent rise in deliveries during the first half of 2015, with over 1,900 units across Mainland China and Hong Kong. Lamborghini deliveries increased by 66.3 per cent to over 100 cars.