VW deliveries slip 4%

Volkswagen delivered 2.02 million vehicles worldwide in the first quarter, down 4% from 2.13 million a year earlier. (volkswagen-group.com) The biggest drag was China, where deliveries fell 15% in January through March. North America was also weak, down 13% in the quarter. (volkswagen-group.com) Europe moved the other way. Volkswagen said deliveries rose 4% in Western Europe and 8% in Central and Eastern Europe, while South America grew 7%. (volkswagen-group.com) The company said the wider car market also shrank through the end of March. Sales chief Marco Schubert said “very challenging economic and geopolitical conditions” shaped the quarter. (volkswagen-group.com) Electric vehicles were weak globally even as Europe held up. Volkswagen’s battery-electric deliveries fell 8% worldwide to 196,681 vehicles, with Europe still up 12% and its Western European battery-electric share rising from 19% to 20%. (volkswagen-group.com) China was the sharpest electric setback. Volkswagen said its battery-electric deliveries there dropped 64% before the launch of new locally developed models, while battery-electric demand in both China and the United States fell after government subsidy programs expired. (volkswagen-group.com) The United States market added another problem. Volkswagen said tariffs in effect since April 2025 contributed to an 80% drop in its battery-electric deliveries there. (volkswagen-group.com) The first-quarter slowdown follows a flat 2025. Volkswagen delivered 8.98 million vehicles last year, down 0.5%, as Europe and South America offset declines of 10% in North America and 8% in China. (volkswagen-group.com) Volkswagen has tied its 2026 recovery plans to new models. The group said it expects momentum from its Electric Urban Car Family in Europe and from new locally developed electric vehicles in China in the coming months. (volkswagen-group.com)