VW '09 China sales growth may exceed 30%

Volkswagen AG expects its sales volume in China's mainland and Hong Kong to grow by more than 30% this year, bucking a trend of weak sales in developed markets amid the global financial crisis, the company said Monday.

Strong sales mean that Volkswagen may reach its goal of selling 2 million vehicles annually in China by 2018 "earlier than planned," the company said in a statement, without giving a new timeline.

"As a locomotive of the world economy, China keeps growing at a high rate," Volkswagen Group China Chief Executive Winfried Vahland said in the statement.

Volkswagen sales in mainland China and Hong Kong in the January-September period rose 37% to 1.06 million units, from 775,341 units a year earlier.

The automaker's new Golf compact car will be delivered to Chinese customers in the next week, and several new models will be introduced to China by the end of 2009, Volkswagen said without elaborating.

China's auto sales have roared ahead this year as government incentives and a relatively more buoyant economy have made the country a bright spot for global auto makers. Volkswagen's chief competitor in China, General Motors Co., has also performed well here, with sales rising 55.6% in the first nine months this year from a year earlier to 1.29 million units.

Volkswagen sales in September totaled nearly 150,000 units, a monthly record, the German auto maker said in the statement without providing details.

Its sales in the January-September period surpassed its total for all of last year, when it sold 1.02 million units in the region.

Sales of Volkswagen brand vehicles in the first nine months reached 871,037 units, an increase of 36.3% from 639,099 units a year earlier, the company said.

Sales of Skoda vehicles rose 82.1% to 81,652 units in January-September, from 44,829 units the same period last year.

Audi sales rose 19.7% to 108,859 units from 90,934 units over the same period, it said.

Volkswagen makes vehicles in China through its joint ventures FAW-Volkswagen Co. and Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive Co.