JANUARY SALES - VOLKSWAGEN - WORLDWIDE - VW's sales drop in January.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 507,100 (January 2014: 521,600) vehicles to customers worldwide in the first month of this year, 2.8 per cent down on the same month of the prior year. “Deliveries by the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand show we are facing a challenging year. 

Volkswagen was not immune to the uncertainties in some regions that have continued into the current year,” Christian  Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, commented in Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

Developments in the global delivery situation in the first month of the year were mixed. 

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand handed over 124,900 (126,100; -1.0 per cent) vehicles to customers on the overall European market in January. Compared with the same month ofthe prior year, 66,100 (66,200; -0.1 per cent) units were delivered inWestern Europe (excluding Germany). The company handed over 42,900 (41,400; +3.4 per cent) vehicles in Germany. 

15,900 (18,500; -14.2 per cent) customers took possession of a new Volkswagen in Central and Eastern Europe in January, of which 6,200 (8,600; -28.3 per cent) units were delivered in Russia.

The brand delivered 282,000 (285,300; -1.2 per cent) vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region in January, of which 265,900 (267,800; -0.7 per cent) were handed over to customers in China (incl. Hong Kong). In contrast, deliveries in the North America region grew to 41,800 (39,700; +5.3 per cent). Volkswagen handed over 23,500 vehicles to customers in the United States, matching the figure for Januaryof last year. 

Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 45,200 (55,200; -18.1 per cent) units in the South America region, of which 34,200 (40,300; -15.2 per cent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

Top 30 sales in 2014 for Germany, and like France, the home brands dominate.

2014 (Full Year) Germany: Best-Selling Car Models

In 2014, Germany’s top-selling car model was again the Volkswagen Golf followed by the VW Passat. The Polo took third place from the BMW 3 Series. Four of the top-ten most popular cars in Germany in 2014 were Volkswagens with a further two from the larger Volkswagen Group. The Skoda Octavia entered the top-ten list of the favorite cars of the Germans at the expense of the Opel Astra.

Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2014 (Full Year)

The top 30 most popular car models in Germany in 2014 according to new passenger vehicle registration statistics released by the KBA were:

2013 Rank	2014 Rank	Brand and Model	Sales 2014	% Change 14 / 13	Sales 2013
1	1	VW GOLF	255,044	x	244,249
2	2	VW PASSAT	72,153	0.1	72,048
4	3	VW POLO	68,103	-0.4	68,343
5	4	AUDI A3, S3, RS3	65,199	6.9	60,978
6	5	VW TIGUAN	61,947	7.1	57,838
8	6	MERCEDES C-CLASS	60,350	15.1	52,433
3	7	BMW 3 SERIES	55,681	-19.9	69,486
10	8	OPEL CORSA	55,151	11.2	49,595
11	9	SKODA OCTAVIA	52,620	6.3	49,495
7	10	BMW 1 SERIES	50,250	-5.6	53,214
15	11	FORD FOCUS	49,494	8.8	45,485
13	12	AUDI A4, S4, RS4	48,278	-0.1	48,310
14	13	VW TOURAN	47,801	3.5	46,184
9	14	OPEL ASTRA	46,193	-8.2	50,322
17	15	FORD FIESTA	45,228	0.2	45,151
19	16	VW UP	40,902	-4.6	42,867
25	17	SEAT LEON	40,251	x	31,037
21	18	AUDI A6, S6, RS6,	39,596	x	40,813
18	19	BMW 5 SERIES	38,733	-12.9	44,468
22	20	SKODA FABIA	38,470	-2.7	39,549
20	21	MERCEDES E-CLASS	37,117	-9.8	41,159
12	22	MERCEDES A-CLASS	36,657	-25.2	49,034
16	23	MERCEDES B-CLASS	36,639	-19.4	45,455
23	24	MINI	33,183	-3.2	34,263
24	25	VW TRANSPORTER	30,796	x	32,684
26	26	VW CADDY	30,154	-2.0	30,777
29	27	FIAT 500	29,920	3.1	29,024
44	28	OPEL MOKKA	27,693	41.2	19,610
30	29	AUDI A1, S1	27,147	-0.4	27,267
48	30	FORD KUGA	25,751	38.3	18,616

Note: x indicates where a change in methodology for the 2014 figures makes a direct comparison impossible, e.g. up to 2013 the VW Golf and Jetta were counted together.

Top Ten Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2014

Germany’s favorite car model in 2014 remained the Volkswagen Golf, as it has been every year since 1981. In 1980, the Mercedes E Class (W123) was the last car to have beaten the Golf to the top in Germany over a calendar year. Golf sales increased in Germany in 2014 but as the Golf and Jetta numbers were counted together up to 2013, the exact increase cannot be calculated. However, Jetta sales in Germany in 2014 were only 940 cars and were probably fairly similar in 2013.

In second place, selling less than a third as many cars as the Golf, was the VW Passat. The Passat has been the second best-selling car in Germany since 2011.

Despite lower sales, the Volkswagen Polo gained third place from the BMW 3 Series that slipped to seventh place this year. The Audi A3 and VW Tiguan similarly improved a place each at the expense of the BMW 3 Series.

The Mercedes C Class benefited from a new model early in the year and was the most improved (+15%) of the top ten most-popular car models in Germany in 2014. The Mercedes C Class improved from eighth a year ago.

The BMW 3 Series’ slip from third to seventh (and nearly a fifth fewer sales) is less serious for BMW than the numbers indicate. Cars now labeled 4 Series were included in 2013 statistics – if these were added the BMW would have been in second place with around 40 cars more sold than the Passat. (Similar effects influenced statistics for other models and manufacturers.)

The Opel Corsa improved from tenth to eighth with the aging car selling remarkably well even before the new model was launched towards the end of the year.

The Skoda Octavia entered the list of the top-ten best-selling car models in Germany for the first time in 2014 at ninth place, up from 11th in 2013 and 17th in 2012. The Octavia is considered Germany’s favorite imported car model, although Skoda is owned by Volkswagen.

The BMW 1 Series slipped from seventh place to tenth, also partly due to the creation of the 2 Series.

The Opel Astra slipped out of the top-10 list – down to 14th from 9th. The Astra is due for a complete model change towards the end of 2015.

Top 30 Best-Selling Car Models in Germany in 2014 (Full Year)

A few further salient features from the top-selling car models in Germany in 2014:

• The only two new entrants on the list of Germany’s 30 favorite car models were the Opel Mokka (up to 28th from 44th) and the Ford Kuga (up to 30th from 48th). These two models also saw the highest percentage increases in sales.
• The two car models dropping off the list were the Hyundai i30 (from 27th) with weaker sales and the Seat Ibiza (from 28th to 31 st) largely due to Cordoba sales counted separately in 2014.
• The Ford Focus has been creeping up the list in recent years and narrowly missed out on a top-ten position.
• The Seat Leon improved 8 rank places, despite loosing Toledo sales from the total.
• The Mercedes A and B Class dropped out of the top 20 with much weaker sales.
• The only foreign car amongst the top-30 most popular car models in Germany in 2014 and from a brand not belonging to VW or BMW was the Fiat 500 (27 th).

BusinessCar awards Volkswagen a trio of awards for 2015.

Volkswagen has boosted its 2015 trophy tally and added three new car of the year titles to its name, courtesy of fleet publication and website, BusinessCar.  The Golf retained its Best Mainstream Lower Medium crown, having won the same award in 2014, while the Touran and Tiguan won the Mini-MPV and Mainstream Small Off-roader categories respectively.  The Polo also fared well, being Highly Commended in the hotly competed Mainstream Supermini sector.

The BusinessCar awards are the only accolades voted for entirely by the readership of BusinessCar magazine and www.businesscar.co.uk, and hence the results reflect the views of fleet managers and drivers, and recognise the products and services that best meet the needs of their operations.

Commenting on Volkswagen’s successes, Paul Barker, editor of BusinessCar, said: ‘A trio of reader-voted BusinessCar Awards shows how highly rated Volkswagen is among corporate users who need vehicles that can combine great running costs and practicality with car park appeal.  

The Golf is the ultimate attainable premium model, while victories for the Touran and Tiguan, as well as the highly commended status of the Polo, highlight the appeal of the Volkswagen brand has across the line-up.’

Volkswagen’s Head of Fleet, Michael O’Shea, added: ‘We have one of the widest ranges of cars of any vehicle manufacturer, meaning there’s a Volkswagen to suit virtually every fleet need and taste.  That the Golf, Tiguan, Polo and Touran have all been recognised by BusinessCar is testament to this. 

‘Arguably more important, however,’ he continued, ‘is the fact that these awards are voted for by the readers of BusinessCar – and that means they’re also testament to the service and back-up we provide through our fleet teams and our Network Business Partners.  We’re delighted to have been honoured in this way and believe the new Passat which went on sale this month will continue our winning streak in the BusinessCar awards.’

Volkswagen to offer a new Black Box for their cars to control and be in control your cars features.

Volkswagen plans to sell a little black box in Austria that records trips and tracks the location of a car to gauge European demand for connected-vehicle services.

The DiBox allows the user to access data on the car via a smartphone and is available for new as well as old VW and Audi models, Porsche Holding, Volkswagen’s Salzburg, Austria-based retail unit, said Wednesday in a statement.

The device, which connects to a vehicle’s electronics system, will cost 299 euros ($350), plus an annual subscription fee of 49 euros.

Volkswagen and BMW are among manufacturers developing wireless links for cars to add features that warn other vehicles of traffic jams and ultimately facilitate autonomous driving.

Regulators are also backing the spread of the technology, with the European Union planning to require that new cars be equipped with a system that automatically notifies emergency services after a serious crash.

By offering the DiBox also for older vehicles, “we’re democratizing the connected car,” Alain Favey, the head of Porsche Holding, said in a statement.

Volkswagen has a target of selling 6,000 DiBoxes this year and will eventually offer the device for the automaker’s other brands, said Richard Mieling, a Porsche Holding spokesman.

Together with Telekom Austria, which is supplying some of the technology, the carmaker plans to expand the service to other European markets.

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Volkswagen hits six million sales in one year for the first time.

• Group Board member for Sales Christian Klingler:  “Tenth record in succession. Deliveries doubled since 2004.”

“The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand closed the tenth year in succession with a new delivery record, topping the six-million mark for the first time in a twelve-month period.  That means we have doubled deliveries by the brand since 2004,” Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, commented in Wolfsburg on Friday.  

The company handed over 6.12* million vehicles to customers from January to December 2014.  The brand delivered 529,500 (December 2013: 542,300; -2.4 percent) units in the month of December.  “We expect the existing challenging market conditions to continue in 2015. However, we believe we are very well prepared to face these challenges with new products such as the Passat or the internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Golf,” Klingler added.

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.68 (1.64; +2.8 percent) million vehicles on the overall European market in 2014, of which 858,300 (811,800; +5.7 percent) were handed over to customers in Western Europe (excluding Germany).  

Deliveries on the home market of Germany also grew, with 578,400 (560,100; +3.3 percent) customers taking possession of a new model there.  Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 244,700 (263,300; -7.1 percent) vehicles in Central and Eastern Europe in the twelve months to December. 128,100 (156,300; -18.0 percent) units were handed over to customers in Russia.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 586,700 (622,300; -5.7 percent) units in the North America region last year, of which 367,000 (407,700; -10.0 percent) were handed over to customers in the United States.  Deliveries in the South America region from January to December decreased to 662,600 (804,300; -17.6 percent) units, of which 541,700 (623,800; -13.2 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

In contrast, deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region grew by a substantial 9.0 percent from January to December 2014, with the brand handing over 2.97 (2.73) million vehicles to customers there. 2.76 (2.51; +10.0 percent) million vehicles were delivered in China (incl. Hong Kong) during the same period.

* Deliveries for 2013 have been updated to reflect subsequent statistical trends.  The Saveiro model, which is mainly sold in South America, has therefore been included in deliveries for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand retroactively from January 1, 2013.  As a consequence, in purely mathematical terms deliveries by the brand in 2013 have increased retroactively from 5.93 to 6.02 million vehicles.