Volkswagen Group China: 2016 half-year deliveries set record high

Volkswagen Group China set a new record in the first six months of 2016: together with its two Chinese Joint Ventures, SAIC VOLKSWAGEN and FAW-Volkswagen, the Group delivered 1.86 (1.74; +6.8 percent) million vehicles to customers in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, including 83,300 imported vehicles, with June deliveries experiencing 18.7 percent year-on-year growth. “After an excellent start in 2016, our brands are witnessing a tremendous upswing – especially in June. But we are looking far beyond our June double-digit growth rate: our goal is to ensure the excitement of our customers, the quality of our earnings, the appeal of our products and sustainability at every step along the way for future development according to Volkswagen’s TOGETHER – Strategy 2025,” commented Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft as well as President and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

“We continue to seek long-term, qualitative growth, and to progress from being a traditional car manufacturer to a global mobility provider, creating vehicles that are seamlessly integrated with our customers’ digital world,” added Heizmann. “This means strengthening our position in key areas, including SUVs, new energy vehicles and autonomous driving, as well as continuing to introduce highly localized products with a strong connectivity offer that demonstrate how we are committed and connected to China.”

The Volkswagen brand, the leader of China’s passenger car market, regained momentum with deliveries of 1.39 (1.30; +7.3 percent) million units from January to June 2016, with June deliveries alone up 23.7 percent, having sold 220,500 units. Volkswagen brand cars were in demand as never before in the first half of the year, with deliveries of the Lavida, Jetta, Sagitar, Santana, Lamando and Gran Santana, all rising significantly. 4 of the 10 best-selling volume passenger cars in China are Volkswagen brand – the Lavida, Jetta, Sagitar and Santana.

The Audi brand maintained its lead in the premium segment, with deliveries of 290,100 (273,900; +5.9 percent) vehicles in the first six months of 2016 (incl. Hong Kong). Audi compact cars performed particularly strong: the company handed 81,100 units of the Audi A3 and Q3 to customers, corresponding to an increase of 21.7 percent. For the month of June, deliveries of Audi models increased by 6.6 percent to 51,000 units.

ŠKODA brand posted deliveries of 145,800 (138,300) vehicles during the first six months of 2016, witnessing a 5.4 percent rise over 2015 figures for the same period.

Deliveries of luxury sports car brand Porsche also increased, with deliveries of 30,400 (29,400) automobiles in the first half of 2016, up 3.7 percent over 2015 figures.