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Berlin - Volkswagen posted its biggest monthly sales gain this year as a surge in China offset a drop in Brazil and eroding market share in Europe in a sign the automaker is overcoming the emissions-cheating scandal.
Volkswagen’s worldwide sales jumped 7.1% in September to 947 600 vehicles, buoyed by strong demand for its Skoda brand, the Wolfsburg, Germany-based company said in a statement on Friday. The namesake VW marque edged into positive territory for the first time this year, bolstered by a surge in deliveries in China last month.
“The increased deliveries make us optimistic we will be able to master the upcoming challenges,” Fred Kappler, Volkswagen’s head of sales said in the statement. “Reinforcing our customers’ trust in our products remains our top priority.”
The manufacturer has been battling back from the crisis after admitting to cheating on emissions tests in September 2015 and tarnishing its image. In Europe, where about 8.5 million tainted cars were sold, Volkswagen has been losing ground to competitors, as rivals including Daimler AG and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles benefit from the loss of confidence.
Last month, Volkswagen was battered by negative publicity related to investor lawsuits and the resignation of the head of development at the Audi luxury brand amid legal investigations.
Volkswagen accounted for 22.9% of European sales in September, down from 23.3% a year earlier, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, or ACEA, said in a statement on Friday.
Its nine-month market share of 23.9% is the lowest since 2011. Volkswagen deliveries in the region rose 5.6% in September, compared with a gain of 7.3% to 1.5 million vehicles for the whole industry, ACEA said.
Still, those woes were offset by demand in China, where the diesel scandal is a non-issue because the technology doesn’t play a role for consumers. The group’s sales in the market, which accounts for more than one-third of global sales, jumped 20% to 382 300 vehicles. That more than offset a 59% plunge in Brazilian deliveries to 13 200.
Volkswagen shares, which have tumbled 26% since the cheating became public, rose 2.3% to €120.35 at 12:59, valuing the company at €63.8bn.
Slowing rebound
Volkswagen’s recovery in Europe is hampered as concerns about the UK’s exit from the European Union and Deutsche Bank's future cloud the region’s economic outlook.
Auto manufacturers posted their first sales dip in almost three years in July, typically a weak month for the sector, and September’s gain came in below the 7.7% increase posted in the first nine months.
In the UK, which exceeded Germany as the biggest European market in September due to a semiannual license plate change that prompts a demand surge, registrations in the month rose 1.6% to 469 696 autos.
While that’s the highest level ever for a September, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, slowing gains in recent months indicate that uncertainty tied to the economic effects of Brexit is weighing on buyers.
“European automobile demand appears to have peaked,” analysts at Moody’s Investors Service, including Bruce Clark in New York, wrote in a report last week. “Manufacturers’ ambitious volume expectations for their new models will keep pricing pressure high and could result in discounts and incentives eroding profit margins and cash flows.”
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