Deliveries in the regions developed as follows:
In Europe, it was evident that the Volkswagen Group was working hard on the changeover of its models to the new WLTP test cycle. Following the severe fall in deliveries in September, the situation in October improved significantly, with 295,400 vehicles delivered (-15.6 percent).
Especially Western Europe continued to report weaker figures as a result of the WLTP changeover. In October, 229,300 vehicles were handed over to customers, 19.3 percent fewer than in October 2017. In the home market of Germany, the negative impact was especially pronounced, with a fall of 23.2 percent. In contrast, a turnaround was reached in the region of Central and Eastern Europe in October and deliveries, at 66,100 vehicles,again reached the level of October 2017.Once again, Russia was a strong driver, with 21,300 vehicles handed over to customers, 22.4percent more than the previous year. The positive performance in this region also contributed to the growth of 2.3 percent in deliveries in January to October, compared with the previous year, to a total of 3.7 million vehicles.
In North America, the Volkswagen Group delivered 79,700 vehicles to customers in October, representing a fall of 2.4 percent compared with the previous year. Here, Canada recorded growth of 4.8 percent, compensating for the lower figures in the USA (-3.6 percent) and Mexico (-3.1 percent). In January to October, deliveries in North America reached a total of 793,000 vehicles, slightly below the prior-year level (-0.9 percent).
In South America, the Group recorded a significant rise in October compared with the previous year. 54,500 vehicles were handed over to customers, an increase of 19.8 percent. In the month under review, Brazil remained a growth driver, with 41,800 vehicles handed over to customers, a rise of 56.7 percent. This more than compensated for the continuing weakness of the Argentinian market, where deliveries, at 7,000 vehicles, fell by 48.7 percent in difficult market conditions.
Deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region in October declined by 7.6 percent to 391,600 vehicles. The tense economic situation in China, the largest market in the region, as a result of the tariff dispute with the USA continues to have a negative impact on performance in the region. The reluctance of Chinese customers to purchase vehicles continues. In China, 365,100 vehicles were handed over to customers, a fall of 8.3 percent compared with the previous year. Since the beginning of the year, the Volkswagen Group has handed over 3.4 million vehicles to customers in China, an increase of 3.4 percent compared with the prior-year period.