Volkswagen enjoyed record sales last year as buoyant markets in Asia and North America more than offset sluggish demand closer to home.
The German carmaker, whose models include the Golf and the Up, said yesterday that more than nine million vehicles were delivered for the first time. The 2012 total of 9.07 million was up 11.2 per cent from the year before.
North American sales leapt 26.2 per cent to 841,500 vehicles, while those in South America rose 8.2 per cent to 1.01 million. Asia-Pacific sales were 23.3 per cent higher at 3.17 million. Those increases helped offset a 6.5 per cent drop in western Europe, excluding Germany, to 1.85 million vehicles. Sales in VW’s homeland rose 1.9 per cent.
The group said it was optimistic for 2013 despite the eurozone’s economic woes. Chairman Martin Winterkorn said: “The Volkswagen group has everything it takes to face these challenges and to play a leading role on world markets.”
SCOTT REID