JANUARY SALES - VW GROUP - Group shows slight gain worldwide in January.

• Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler:“We made a stable start to another challenging year”

The Volkswagen Group began the year with a slight increase in deliveries of 0.7 per cent. The Company with its twelve brands delivered 817,600 (January 2014: 811,500) vehicles worldwide. “The Volkswagen Group made a stable start to the year. 

Our premium brands Audi and Porsche, along with ŠKODA and SEAT, put in a particularly strong performance,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday. “Looking ahead to the full year we can expect the global uncertainties to continue – and 2015 will be another challenging year,” Klingler added.

Including the figures for heavy commercial vehicles, Group brands delivered a total of 287,400 (279,400; +2.9 per cent) vehicles to customers on the overall European market in the first month of the year. 152,200 (149,300; +1.9 per cent) customers took possession of a new vehicle in Western Europe (excluding Germany). 89,300 (84,200; +6.1 per cent) units were delivered in the home market of Germany. 

The Group handed over 45,900 vehicles to customers in Central and Eastern Europe, matching the figure for January of last year. 13,800 (16,600; -16.9 per cent) units were delivered in Russia.

The Company delivered 63,200 (58,000; +9.0 per cent) vehicles in the North America region in January, of which 39,200 (36,900; +6.1 per cent) were handed over to customers in the United States. The Volkswagen Group delivered 53,900 (67,900; -20.7 per cent) vehicles in the South America region during the same period, of which 38,500 (48,500; -20.7 per cent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

381,300 (375,000; +1.7 per cent) vehicles were delivered to customers in the Asia-Pacific region in the first month of the year, of which 351,400 (344,500; +2.0 per cent) were handed over in China (incl. Hong Kong), the Group’s largest single market.

Outline of developments at Group brands

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 507,100 (521,600; -2.8 per cent) vehicles to customers worldwide in January 2015.

The premium brand Audi handed over 137,700 (124,900) vehicles in the first month of the year, a substantial rise of 10.3 per cent.

The sports car manufacturer Porsche delivered a total of 16,000 (12,200) vehicles, representing an increase of 31.2 per cent compared with the previous year.

The Czech brand ŠKODA delivered 87,000 (80,900) vehicles in January, an increase of 7.5 per cent.

SEAT handed over 27,700 (26,000; +6.4 per cent) vehicles to customers during the first month of the year.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 30,600 (31,600; -3.3 per cent) vehicles during the same period.

The MAN commercial vehicles brand delivered 5,600 (7,800; -29.0 per cent) units in the first month of the year.

The Swedish brand Scania delivered 5,000 (5,600; -9,7 per cent) heavy trucks and buses to customers in January.

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.

JANUARY SALES - WORLDWIDE - BMW - all brands shows growth, around the globe.

• 142,154 vehicles delivered to customers, increase of 7.0%
• Robertson: Further growth in 2015 anticipated
• Schwarzenbauer: MINI will build on momentum in 2015

Following on from a record-breaking 2014, where the BMW Group delivered more than two million vehicles, 2015 has got off to a good start with sales up 7.0% compared with the same month last year. A total of 142,154 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers in January, a new high for the month (prev. yr. 132,906).

“This is a positive start, building on the success of last year,” said Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Sales and Marketing BMW. “Looking ahead, we are aiming for further growth in 2015, despite still challenging economic conditions in some markets. There are a number of very exciting model launches coming up this year and our target is to increase global sales for a fifth successive year,” Robertson added.

BMW sales were higher than any previous January: 124,561 BMW brand vehicles were delivered to customers, 6.3% up on the same month last year (117,178). 4,247 customers took delivery of the recently launched 2 Series Active Tourer and demand for the new BMW 4 Series vehicles remains strong with a total of 8,537 delivered worldwide. The success of the BMW X family also continues. 

A total of 4,555 BMW X4s were sold in January while the BMW X5 saw significant sales growth of 40.9% compared with the same month last year (12,035 / prev. yr. 8,540). Sales of the BMW X6 showed positive growth with 2,889 delivered worldwide, 2.5% up on the previous year (2,819).

In the first month of the year, sales of the innovative BMW i vehicles totalled 1,845. Around the world, 1,416 customers took delivery of a BMW i3 while sales of the BMW i8 in January totalled 429.

Overall sales of MINI brand vehicles were also higher than ever before in January, with the brand achieving double-digit growth of 12.0% compared with the same period last year (17,373 / prev. yr. 15.510). “Following on from our core model change last year, MINI is aiming for sustainable growth in 2015,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for MINI, BMW Motorrad and Rolls-Royce. 

“The strong sales of the new MINI 3 door and 5 door models we saw in the fourth quarter have continued into the new year and I am confident that these and other new upcoming models will see MINI building on this momentum throughout the year,” Schwarzenbauer added. Sales of the new MINI 3 door are up 33.6% on the same period last year, totalling 7,502 units (prev. yr. 5,616) and the new MINI 5 door model was delivered to a total of 3,876 customers worldwide.

Following the strategy of balanced sales across the globe, the BMW Group saw sales increase in almost all regions.

Deliveries of BMW and MINI models in Asia were up 6.6% compared with January last year (54,188 / prev. yr. 50,841) with several markets contributing to the growth. Deliveries in Mainland China increased by 7.9% (40,081 / prev. yr. 37,137) while sales in South Korea rose 16.9% (4,045 / prev. yr. 3,460).

In the Americas, a total of 27,450 BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers (prev. yr. 25,977 / +5.7%). Sales in the USA totalled 22,209, an increase of 6.8% (prev. yr. 20,796). Sales in Brazil grew by a significant 18.5%, with a total of 1,139 customer deliveries (prev. yr. 961).

The positive growth seen in Europe in 2014 continues into January, with the region posting sales up 8.5% on the same month last year. A total of 55,676 new BMW and MINI vehicles were delivered to customers in the region in January (prev. yr. 51,333). Double-digit growth was recorded in a number of markets. 

Sales in Scandinavia were up 11.5% compared with January last year with a total of 3,300 vehicles delivered to customers (prev. yr. 2,959). Similar sales growth was seen in the Netherlands, where 1,820 vehicles were sold in January (prev. yr. 1,639 / +11.0%). Positive growth was also achieved in the BMW Group’s home market in Germany, where 19,396 new BMW and MINI vehicles were registered (prev. yr. 18,760 / +3.4%).

The year has started very positively for BMW Motorrad. A total of 6,263 maxi-scooters and motorcycles were delivered to customers, a sales increase of 15.2% compared with January last year (prev. yr. 5,438).

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BMW Group sales in January 2015 at a glance

	In January 2015	Compared to previous year
BMW Group Automobiles	142,154	+7.0%
BMW	124,561	+6.3%
MINI	17,373	+12.0%
BMW Motorrad	6,263	+15.2%

JANUARY UK SALES - NISSAN - fastest growing brand by market share, mmm, iffy !

• Fastest growing brand by market share compared with the same time last year
• Nissan car registrations reach over 11,000 for first month of the year – the best ever January in the company’s history
• UK-built stars – Qashqai, Juke, Note, and LEAF – reach highest ever January volume
• Company soars to fourth place in the UK’s top-selling brands
• January share of the passenger car market hits record high of 6.72%

Nissan Motor GB Limited has recorded its best ever start to a year with 11,076 cars sold in January – an increase of 25.9% or 2,277 registrations over the same period last year.

The company also stormed to its highest ever share of the January passenger car market at 6.72%, with the award-winning all-new Qashqai continuing its segment domination with over 4,500 sales.

Also at the heart of this sales success was Nissan’s other UK-built stars – the 100% electric LEAF, the Note, and the Juke – which all soared to their highest ever January registrations.

Nissan bolstered its position as the fastest growing brand in the UK with a total market share increase of 1%. This increased share of the car market puts the company at fourth position in the UK.

Helping to drive sales was Nissan’s diverse range of crossovers including the Qashqai, Juke and all-new X-TRAIL. Nissan continued to dominate this fast-growing category registering almost 8,000 units a 32% increase over the same period last year.

This powerful start to the year continues on from the company’s record-breaking 2014, during which 138,338 cars were sold – a 17% increase over 2013’s full year sales.

JANUARY UK SALES - FORD - The Blue Oval continues to dominate UK sales for the 7th Decade running

Ford was the clear leader in total vehicle, car and CV sales in January as it commenced its 39th consecutive year of UK car sales leadership and is on track to complete 50 consecutive years of UK commercial vehicle (CV) sales leadership.

According to the official sales figures issued today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT):

• Ford leads UK overall, car and CV sales in January.
• Fiesta leads sales in its seventh successive year as the UK best seller.
• Fiesta sales exceed the total sales of all but five rival car makers.
• Ford CV sales and share up in January.
• Transit nameplate sales would place it third in total vehicle sales.

Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said:  "Ford’s strong sales start to 2015 builds on the momentum sustained through 2014 and is a direct result of the continued investment in exciting products and industry-leading technologies.

“Following the complete re-vamp of our CV range last year, we will renew around 60 per cent of our passenger cars this year, including the new Focus ST, C-MAX, S-MAX, Mustang and Vignale models. The recently-announced Ford GT and Focus RS will be our future technological and performance flagships.”

According to the official SMMT figures, January car sales in the UK were up 6.7 per cent at 164,856 registrations, compared with January 2014.  Ford sold 21,480 cars, 4,545 registrations ahead of its nearest rival.

Ford Fiesta’s January registrations of 8,674 made it the clear UK best-seller and this sales total would place it seventh in the list of top-selling car manufacturers, meaning that Fiesta on its own outsells the car ranges of all but five of Ford’s rival car makers.

Ford’s broad customer appeal across its car range is demonstrated by Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Galaxy all occupying top three places in their respective market segments.

UK commercial vehicle sales in January were up 23.4 per cent at 24,646, compared with January 2014.  Total sales of Ford CVs were up 27.9 per cent at 6,481, compared with January 2014.  Ford light commercials sales in January were up from 604 to 1,740 registrations, compared with January 2014, and its LCV market share increased from 12.3 to 25.5 per cent. 

Ford Transit has led the UK CV sector from its launch in 1965 and the full availability of Ford’s extended CV family has helped deliver these significant Ford light commercial sales and share increases.

However, to underline that Ford’s CV models are a success across the whole range, it should be noted that Fiesta Van, Transit Courier, Transit Connect, Transit Custom, Transit and Ranger are all placed in the top three in their respective market segments.

JANUARY UK SALES - MITSUBISHI - 159% increase on last January, it seems its carrying on from 2014.

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK’s passenger car sales for January 2015 are 159 per cent up on the same month last year against a market that is up 6.1 per cent overall, according to figures released by the SMMT today.

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK’s Sales and Marketing Director, Toby Marshall said: “I am extremely pleased with our start to 2015. Last year was a very good year for us, with our sales increasing by 75%, so for January to deliver a strong result shows that our growth continues.”

The company’s ASX active sports cross-over car is 118 per cent up, the result of a high profile TV and press marketing campaign. The iconic L200 pick-up vehicle is 42 per cent ahead of last year, following the launch of the L200 Challenger – the company’s best ever value for money pick-up.

Mitsubishi’s Outlander Plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) is a major highlight of the UK car market. Its introduction has transformed the plug-in market, which it now leads by a significant margin, accounting for nearly half of all sales. The Outlander PHEV has an all-electric range of up to 32.5 miles and phenomenal economy and environmental credentials. It emits just 44g/km of CO₂ and the official combined fuel consumption figure is 148mpg. Mitsubishi Shogun is up 50 per cent the diesel Outlander also delivered a strong performance.

JANUARY USA SALES - MITSUBISHI - It just keeps getting better every month.

• 11th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases
• Best January sales month since 2008
• Total sales up 33.4 percent from last January

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) continues its sales momentum with January 2015 vehicle sales of 6,493 units, a 33.4 percent sales increase from January 2014. MMNA ended 2014 with a nearly 25 percent sales increase over the previous year and January marks the brand's 11th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases.

The Mirage 5-door subcompact scored its best-ever month of sales since the vehicle was introduced in 2013 with 1,705 units sold. Outlander Sport continues to be the brand's top-selling model recording 2,267 units sold, up 23.3 percent year-over-year with its best ever January. 

Sales of the Outlander crossover climbed to 1,003 units, up 6.6 percent and represented its best January sales month since 2007. The Lancer compact sports sedan demonstrated excellent momentum with sales of 1,515 units, a 68.3 percent increase from January 2014 and the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases.

"After finishing 2014 with sales up nearly 25 percent over the previous year, we are off to a phenomenal start in 2015," said Don Swearingen, Executive Vice President MMNA. "The Mirage had its best-ever sales month, Lancer sales are up significantly, Outlander Sport continues to lead the way and Outlander maintains solid sales traction."

	January		YTD
	2015	2014	2015	2014
i-MiEV	3	1	3	1
Mirage	1705	1170	1705	1170
Lancer	1515	900	1515	900
Outlander	1003	941	1003	941
Outlander Sport	2267	1838	2267	1838
Total	6493	4867	6493	4867