HispanicBusiness

WOLFSBURG, GERMANY -- (Marketwire) -- 01/14/13 -- The Volkswagen Group

•Full year 2012: 11.2 percent* increase in deliveries

•December was strong month: 784,300 vehicles delivered / 20.7 percent rise*

•Board of Management Chairman Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn: "Group developed extremely well in difficult conditions and recorded best sales year ever."

•Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler: "Present uncertainties will intensify in 2013. Markets remain challenging, competition is getting tougher."



The Volkswagen Group recorded a further strong increase in worldwide deliveries for the full year 2012 and exceeded the prior-year delivery record. The Company delivered 9.07 (2011: 8.16; +11.2 percent)* million vehicles for the first time in a twelve-month period. The Group also finished the month of December with a 20.7 percent increase, delivering 784,300 (December 2011: 649,700)* units.

The Chairman of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft's Board of Management, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, commented: "The Volkswagen Group developed extremely well in difficult conditions. 2012 was the best sales year ever. This is another big step forward in our Strategy 2018. Tough challenges lie ahead. The Volkswagen Group has everything it takes to face these challenges and to play a leading role on world markets."

Group Board Member for Sales, Christian Klingler, added: "All the brands in our Group contributed to this very good delivery performance in 2012. This is an excellent team achievement. We are still keeping a vigilant eye on the future, because the present uncertainties will intensify this year, particularly in Western Europe. The markets are challenging and competition is also getting tougher."

Full-year deliveries developed especially well on the American continent, with the number of vehicles handed over in the North America region in the period to December growing 26.2 percent to 841,500 (666,800) units, of which 596,100 (444,200; +34.2 percent) were delivered in the United States.

"The United States is one of the Volkswagen Group's key markets for implementing our Strategy 2018. Volkswagen Group of America will continue to grow and, together with Porsche Cars North America, will deliver well in excess of 600,000 vehicles to customers this year," Winterkorn said on the eve of this year's motor show in Detroit.

The Volkswagen Group handed over 1.01 (0.93; +8.2 percent) million vehicles to customers in the South America region during the same period, of which 780,200 (704,700; +10.7 percent) were delivered in Brazil.

The Group also recorded very satisfactory figures in the Asia-Pacific region, where deliveries topped the three million mark for the first time in a twelve-month period, with 3.17 (2.57; +23.3 percent) million vehicles handed over to customers, of which 2.81 (2.26; +24.5 percent) million units were delivered in China, the region's largest single market. In India, deliveries increased by 2.1 percent to 114,100 (111,700) units.