VeeDub Shatters All Records. 4 Million Cars In 7 Months
For the first time in recorded history, the Volkswagen Group sold (not just produced) more than 4m vehicles in the period from January to July. Actually, it’s 4.16m units. In the same period of 2009, they had moved 3.65m units. Which translates into a growth of 13.7 percent. In a communiqué, Volkswagen proudly announces that they outpaced the overall world market. Which had grown 13.4 percent in the same period.
This is a very respectable result, given the fact that Volkswagen’s home market is a train wreck, and Europe is a basket case with the worst yet to come. We all know where most of Volkswagen’s growth comes from. It’s Made in China. Every day, they should have a moment of silence, go on their knees and thank Carl Hahn for his decision to got to “Red” China back in 1983.
In China, VW deliveries in the first seven months grew 42.2 percent to 1.11 million. In the entire Asia/Pacific region, Volkswagen grew at a rate of 42.3 percent, with deliveries totaling 1.23m units. In India, Volkswagen even grew by 121 percent. By selling 21,300 cars instead of 9,700 units in the same period in the prior year.
In South America, deliveries for the period January to July grew 2.3 percent to 483,300 units. In North America, Volkswagen sold 309,200 (+17.6 percent) vehicles. In the U.S.A. 207,100 (+27.1 percent) cars changed hands.
In Europe, Volkswagen held their own with 2.0m deliveries, up 2.2 percent. Not bad, in light of the general market malaise back home while the overall market contracted by 1.8 percent.
So will VW power ahead, sell more than 8m cars this year and report “Strategie 2018 – Befehl ausgeführt?” Even they don’t think so.
“Now that incentive programs have come to an end, the global automotive market is expected to decline in the second half of the year,” Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said today. And then came the really bad news for everyone:
“There will not be a return to the high pre-crisis levels this year.”
Maybe next year. If China holds up.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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and yet they do this without a great deal of support in the US what does this say about the US market? the US VW product? VW in the US?
A triumph of the will!