Car industry VW Group sells fewer cars

The VW Group is feeling the effects of consumer restraint. Fewer cars have been sold in the past three months. Audi and China in particular are having a negative impact.

The Volkswagen Group delivered fewer cars in the last quarter than a year ago. From April to June, the Group delivered 2,243,700 vehicles of all Group brands worldwide, 3.8 percent fewer than in the same month of the previous year, according to the Wolfsburg-based company. Audi and China in particular had a negative impact.

Audi sales slumped by 11.3 percent. The core brand Volkswagen lost 5.2 percent. Skoda and Seat/Cupra, on the other hand, made gains. Business is weakening in China in particular. In the past three months, 19.3 percent fewer vehicles were delivered there.

"As announced, we have deliberately prioritized sustainable value creation over higher volumes in the very intense competitive environment in China in order to achieve our long-term strategic goals," said Audi Sales Director Hildegard Wortmann, who is also responsible for the division within the Group as a whole.

In contrast, sales in Western Europe rose by 5.1 percent and in North America by 10.8 percent. However, this could not compensate for the slump in China. Wortmann is nevertheless optimistic for the rest of the year. "For 2024 as a whole, we continue to expect a slight increase in global deliveries compared to the previous year due to the start-up and ramp-up of numerous important models in the second half of the year."

E-car sales weakening

There was a dip in sales of electric cars. In the first half of the year, the Group delivered 317,200 e-models worldwide, 4,400 fewer than in the same period in 2023. This was mainly due to weak demand in Europe and the USA, where 15 percent fewer e-cars were delivered in each case. The order backlog for e-cars in Western Europe had risen slightly to around 170,000.

The Group had revised its forecast for the year as a whole downwards only the previous evening. Audi in particular is under pressure. Due to the weak demand for the Q8 e-tron e-model, the VW subsidiary is now considering discontinuing production of the model in Brussels ahead of schedule. The site is to be restructured. This could result in the closure of the plant if no alternatives are found. In the first half of the year, 17,900 Q8 e-tron were delivered.

SDA