Despite and overall cooling market, Volkswagen reported an 18 percent sales gain in China in 2011, helping the German automaker to its best-ever finish in the Asian country.
VW said its sales increased 18 percent in China last year, totaling 2.26 million units. China now stands as the single largest market for the Volkswagen Group’s VW, Audi and Lamborghini brands.
VW is expecting another improvement in sales in 2012, although growth could be slowed due to various economic conditions.
“Although we expect tougher conditions for the car industry to come, we want to maintain our leading market position in China,” Karl-Thomas Neumann, CEO of VW’s China unit, said in the statement. “We see a great potential for an expansion in China’s rural areas where millions of people will benefit from better mobility.”
VW still trails General Motors in total China sales, but is making up ground quickly. GM sold 2.55 million vehicles in China last year, representing an improvement of just 8.3 percent.
China’s overall market expanded 2.5 percent to 18.5 million vehicles in 2011.
References
1.’VW’s 2011 China…’ view
