Despite Dieselgate, VW Surpasses Toyota in First Half of 2016

Despite getting caught in the middle of an enormous emissions-cheating scandal, Volkswagen Group recorded the first half of the current fiscal year in a much better position than anticipated.

In total, deliveries for the first half of 2016 ran at 5.12 million units for the VW Group, representing an increase of 1.5% over the corresponding prior-year period.

Meanwhile, Toyota reported a drop 0.76% in first-half vehicle sales with 4.92 million units sold following a series of production stoppages, falling behind Volkswagen 1.20%. That means, VW returns in the top spot becoming the world’s top-selling carmaker in the first six months of 2016 despite its emissions scandal.

While the regions of Europe and Asia-Pacific continued to show solid growth, deliveries in the North America region were slightly down on the prior-year level. The South America region recorded a further decrease. “Solid growth overall during the first half year is partly attributable to the strong performance in June. The main impetus came from the regions of Europe and Asia-Pacific. The pleasing result reflects our customers’ trust in our products even in these challenging times”, said Fred Kappler, VW Group Head of Group Sales.

In Europe, the Volkswagen Group handed over 2.20 million new vehicles to customers in the first six months, representing an increase of 3.8% over the corresponding prior-year period. There were positive developments in both Western Europe (+3.3%) and Central and Eastern Europe (+6.7%). Momentum in Western Europe was particularly strong in Italy and Spain, with Poland and the Czech Republic providing the main impetus in Central and Eastern Europe. Deliveries in Russia stabilized in the second quarter. 14,500 vehicles were handed over to customers there in June – a rise of 0.9%.

In the North America region, deliveries by the Volkswagen Group in the first half of the year were slightly down on the prior-year level, running at 444,100 units (-1.6%), of which 76,900 vehicles were handed over to customers in the month of June (-4.3%). In the South America region, 223,800 vehicles were delivered to customers in the first 6 months (-24.7%). Deliveries in the region continued to decline as a result of the continued tense economic situation, particularly in Brazil.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Group recorded solid growth in the first two quarters. 333,300 vehicles were handed over to customers in this region in the month of June, representing an increase of 15% compared with the prior year. The main impetus came from China (+18.7%). 2.04 million vehicles were delivered in the Asia-Pacific region in the year to June – an increase of 5.1%.

Overview of deliveries by the Volkswagen Group:

Source: Volkswagen, Fortune