Currently reading: VW group sales up 1.5 per cent

Sixth-generation Golf boosts figures; Mercedes sales up in China

The VW Group’s year-on-year global sales were up 1.5 per cent in May, thanks partly to the success of the new sixth-generation Golf.

Large gains were reported in China and Germany, as total global sales reached 556,700.

As an individual brand, VW sales were up 10 per cent, while Skoda and Seat sales were down 7.3 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

There has been strong demand for the new Golf, particularly in Germany, where Group sales were up 36 per cent.

Detlef Wittig, VW sales chief, said: “We have to some extent been able to uncouple ourselves from an overall market that remains very weak thanks to our strong, young product range plus the additional sales advantage that comes from the comparatively high residual value of our used cars.

“However, with the exception of China, global passenger car markets are not showing any signs of recovery. It is not clear whether the markets have hit rock bottom yet.”

Mercedes-Benz has also reported a sharp increase in year-on-year sales for May in China.

Sales were up 86 per cent to 5200, the third month in a row where record sales have been recorded.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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