VW brand sales up 5.4% in April as China demand offsets Europe drop

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group said today that sales of its core VW brand rose 5.4 percent in April to 480,900, powered by gains in China which helped offset a weak Europe and a slowdown in other global markets including the United States. ''Developments on world markets remained mixed and the situation in Europe in particular is very challenging,'' said Christian Klinger, head of sales and marketing at VW Group, in a statement. Klinger said that signals from China ''continue [to be] positive.'' Four-month sales of VW brand gained 5.3 percent to 1.91 million vehicles, VW said. Global markets VW brand sales in western Europe sales, excluding Germany, fell 7.9 percent to 279,300 in the first four months. In Germany, volume fell 10.9 percent to 180,500 in the same period. In central and eastern Europe, deliveries rose 1.9 percent to 85,500, but sales in Russia fell 2.1 percent to 49,500. Through April, deliveries in China, including Hong Kong, rose 20 percent to 783,900, but in the United States, they remained flat at 131,800, falling 0.1 percent. In South America, volume dropped 4.5 percent to 235,200, with deliveries in Brazil falling 2.9 percent to 175,600.