The Volkswagen Group has handed over 1.94 million vehicles to customers from January to April 2016. The global quarterly figure indicates next to zero progress over the same period last year as the scandal-hit brand continues to struggle in regaining momentum in several key markets.
The brand sold 476,700 units in April 2016, marking a 3.9 percent decline in sales compared to the same period last year (April 2015: 496,000). At the moment, China along with Central and Eastern Europe are the only growth regions where Volkswagen is managing decent sales.
In terms of regional developments worldwide, Volkswagen delivered 579,500 vehicles to customers in the overall European markets from January to April, on a par with the prior-year level. At 511,000 units, the brand kept deliveries in Western Europe almost stable. The situation in Russia, however, continued to decline as sales dropped by a significant 10.2 percent.
There was a 4 percent increase in deliveries in North America while the overall market situation in South America remained difficult with sales of just 31,900 units. Volkswagen, as we know, is suffering from the aftermath of the mega scandal relating to the cheat software to pass diesel emissions tests. As you would expect, the brand is struggling to put things back in place and make up for the decline in market share.