#SalesQ12011

A few days ago, we looked at Volkswagen and said that “we expect a growth of group sales well over 10 percent in the first quarter” when Volkswagen does publish its Q1 data by the end of the week. Wolfsburg did not disappoint. Volkswagen sold 1.97 million cars globally in the first three months of 2011. In the same period of last year, it was 1.73 million vehicles, for a growth of 13.7 percent.

The “increase means Europe’s largest automaker also clearly outperformed the overall market, which grew 8.1 percent,” proclaims a statement emailed from Wolfsburg. Group sales in March were also respectable: 767,200 units, up 8.1 percent over March 2010, and a new record.

From the perspective of America, where Volkswagen has been relatively luckless ever since the success of the Bug, these numbers may look surprising.

Volkswagen is hitting on all cylinders this year. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 1.23 million units in the first quarter of 2011, up 10.4 percent from 1.11 million in the same period of 2010. That according to an emailed statement from Wolfsburg.

In March, Volkswagen also racked up record deliveries: For the first time, more than 468,000 (March 2010: 446,000; +4.9 percent) vehicles changed hands. Who’s buying all these cars?