VW Apr sales down 4.7%; core brand posts rise

Volkswagen AG said Monday that April vehicle sales were down 4.7% on the year as many auto markets around the globe remain depressed but, fueled by the scrapping incentive scheme on its German home turf, the core VW passenger car brand posted a 1.3% sales rise last month.

"We continue expect to fare better than the overall market," Volkswagen sales chief Detlef Wittig said in a statement, noting that apart from Germany and a positive trend in China there are still no signs of a market rebound.

Volkswagen said the global auto market was down around 20% on the year in April.