BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen Group saw sales fall by 22.2% in the first half of this year from last year’s figures, company data showed on Friday, dragged down by a steep drop in Europe, with battery-electric sales boosted by growth in China.
Total deliveries to customers worldwide were down 22.4% in the second quarter of the year, with Central and Eastern Europe hardest hit at -49.3%. Western Europe also saw a considerable fall of 25.7%.
Even as total sales fell, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) deliveries increased by just over a quarter in the first half of the year to 217,100, making up 5.6% of total sales – bolstered largely by significant growth in China.
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Miranda Murray)
