Volkswagen Navigates Challenging Automotive Markets While Audi Struggles

Volkswagen AG, the largest automotive manufacturer in Germany, has managed to slightly increase its vehicle deliveries during the first half of the year, amidst a challenging automotive market. The company reported a 1.3 percent rise in global deliveries, reaching 4.4 million vehicles. This growth was primarily fueled by a significant surge in electric vehicle (EV) sales, which saw an impressive increase of 47 percent, totaling 465,500 units.

The Volkswagen brand itself performed even better, while its subsidiary, Audi, experienced a decline in worldwide sales, although this was somewhat mitigated by a rise in electric vehicle registrations.

In the critical Chinese market, Volkswagen reported a 2.3 percent drop in deliveries, totaling 1.31 million vehicles in the first half of the year. However, there was a positive trend noted in the second quarter, where deliveries increased by 2.8 percent. Despite the intense competition among local manufacturers leading to aggressive discounting strategies, Volkswagen chose to maintain a focus on traditional combustion engine models. This strategy allowed the company to sustain overall sales, even as EV sales in China faced a nearly one-third decline during the second quarter.

In Europe, Volkswagen saw an increase in sales, largely attributed to a remarkable 89 percent rise in pure electric vehicle sales, which amounted to 347,000 vehicles in the first half of the year. The demand for electric vehicles in Western Europe has significantly risen, contributing to the overall positive performance. In Germany, the company has also significantly boosted its electric vehicle registrations, solidifying its dominant position in the market.

In the United States, electric vehicle sales increased by almost 25 percent; however, this growth was not enough to offset the overall decline in deliveries in North America, which fell by nearly 7 percent to 462,000 vehicles.

The core Volkswagen brand recorded a 4.5 percent increase in deliveries, amounting to 2.3 million vehicles. The sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) rose at a considerable rate, although this growth was less pronounced compared to the foreign subsidiaries Skoda and Seat/Cupra, which both more than doubled their sales figures. Skoda, in particular, showed the best performance across all brands, with a nearly 14 percent increase in sales to 509,000 vehicles, bringing it closer to reaching the one million vehicle mark for the year, a level not seen since 2020.

Conversely, Audi's situation remains challenging, with a reported decline of 5.9 percent in vehicle deliveries, totaling 783,531 units. Nevertheless, Audi did experience a significant uptick in electric vehicle sales, reaching 101,381 units, which represents a 32 percent increase. The company's sales chief noted a positive trend in BEV deliveries and order intake, highlighting the growing acceptance of its new electric vehicle portfolio among customers.

In China, Audi faced a decline of over 10 percent in sales, with just under 288,000 vehicles sold. The electric vehicle segment for Audi in China suffered even more, dropping almost a quarter, with fewer than 8,000 electric vehicles delivered. Audi attributed these challenges to the intense competitive landscape in the market and expressed hopes that new product launches in the second half of the year would improve performance.

In North America, excluding Mexico, Audi also saw a decline of 9 percent, totaling nearly 99,000 vehicles. While electric vehicle deliveries fell, they did so at a slower pace compared to overall sales. The company indicated that its current model rollout would gradually improve sales figures.

Meanwhile, competitors such as Mercedes-Benz reported an 8 percent decline in sales for the first half of the year, totaling 1.08 million vehicles, with similar struggles in the Chinese market. BMW has yet to release its sales figures for the period.