Volkswagen Breaks New Sales Record
The Volkswagen Group is hitting on all available cylinders, and there are many: For the first time in recorded Volkswagen history, VW delivered more than 3 million units in the first five months, 3.37 million, to be exact. Compared to the same period last year, that is an increase of +14.6 percent. These gains are steady and continous. In May, VW sold 708,900 units worldwide, up 17.4 percent compared to May 2010.
Around the world, Volkswagen’s January-May sales were as follows:
Volkswagen January-May 2011 deliveries by region
Europe1,560,0009.6%North America261,60019.7%South America376,8009.3%Asia/Pacific1,040,00021.6%Others131,60035.8%3,370,00014.6%Europe remains Volkswagen’s largest market, but Asia is catching up quickly. Volkswagen now sells roughly twice as many cars in China as at home in Germany. 921,100 (+18.4 percent) units were delivered in China in the first five months. In Germany, 475,100 (+8.7 percent) Volkswagen were sold January to May 2011.
Volkswagen January-May 2011 deliveries by major brand
Brand-wise, everything appears to be rosy. Even SEAT is selling again. No wonder Volkswagen’s sales chief Christian Klingler is “very pleased” with the”very convincing model range” which is “ benefiting from brisk demand.”
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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HOW? WHY?
How come as the quality of the interior surpasses Chrysler for crappiness, the sales go up. No wonder the Europeans often has such distaste for Americans. I'm disgusted myself...
I had heard that not having the rubo engine as standard and building in the US (reduced foreign exchange hedging) made substantial savings. The interiors may be a little less luxiourious than before but from what I have read (and we should wait until it os out in the showroom) the interiors are still towards the top of the class. If you want real luxury interiors then VW owns Audi. So you base your comments on one car - the Jetta.
>It is your money and your car… you have my blessing. but once you had a Japanese car, you will consider any type of mechanical failure within 5-8 years a… failure. It says a lot when VW owners justify such failures with that it improved to “before”. It also says a lot that drivers in general over the years are not being raised to deal with adversity - the "there are no losers" syndrome at play - hence an increase in the number of drivers who complain when a light bulb goes out. Car owners nowadays tend to neglect basic maintenance items on their vehicles (oil changes, check the tire pressure, etc.) until something goes WRONG! For example, when most drivers fill up at the gas station, they neglect to check the oil level or perform a quick visual inspection of the engine compartment and around the vehicle to identify potential problems before they get worse. And when something does go wrong, these individuals are quick to point the blame at everyone else - not considering that they might also be complicit as well...