Yet another record: VW China sales jump nearly 25%

VW China achieved a record sales of 431,369 units during the first half of this year, equavilent to an increase of 24.6 percent Y/Y，according to the company's announcement. VW is also the first foreign automaker to publish its half year results in China.

VW's joint ventures here, Shanghai VW and FAW-VW, has sold 379,705 units of VW brand vehicles, an increase of 23.7 percent Y/Y, 49,267 units of Audis, up 26.9 percent Y/Y and 2,274 units of Skodas (imports included). Skoda Octavia, launched on the 6th of June, contributed 2,066 units to the German automaker's business in China.

"After the good results from the first quarter, VW has made more progress in the second quarter. The Olympic Restructuring Plan has been working well," said Dr. Winfried Vahland, CEO and President of VW China. The Olympic Restructuring Plan is a VW initiative which aims to cut cost, strengthen the line-up and improve the product quality by 2008,

"Skoda Octavia is off to a good starts with the piles of orders coming in and VW Magotan will hit the market next week. We have confidence in our second half year performance," He added. The whole-year sales is set to exceed 800,000 units.

Currently, VW is the top auto maker in China. As it leads the market, VW is trying to answer the government's call for environmental protection and energy savings. The company is committed to cut fuel consumption and emission of its main products by over twenty percent. The two upcoming flagship models---Skoda Octavia and VW Magotan are both equipped with world-class TSI engine, which is manufactured in its recently completed Dalian facilities. "We advocate sustainable development to create a 'Green China'," said the leader of VW China.