Volkswagen global deliveries in August decline by 6.6%

Worldwide vehicle deliveries by Volkswagen in August declined by 6.6 percent year-on-year to a total of 792,200 units, the German carmaker announced on Friday, reported Xinhua.

The decline in deliveries in August was higher than in the previous month, when Volkswagen's worldwide vehicle deliveries only fell by 0.2 percent. Deliveries fell dramatically in spring because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China was the only major market for Volkswagen that recorded growing numbers. Year-on-year sales in August went up by 3.5 percent as Volkswagen delivered 353,200 vehicles in China, according to Germany's largest carmaker.

"International automobile markets developed differently in August," the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) said on Thursday.

In Europe and the United States, sales declined at double-digit rates, while in China, the upward trend continued, with deliveries increasing for the fourth consecutive month, according to the VDA.

For Volkswagen, deliveries in North America were down by 18.7 percent in August, worse than the drop of 16 percent in the previous month. In Western Europe, the German carmaker recorded a drop of 16.6 percent in August.

Without a "special effect" caused by the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), global deliveries of Volkswagen in August would be "significantly closer to the previous year's level," a Volkswagen spokesperson told Xinhua on Friday.