Embattled German carmaker Volkswagen said today it had sold fewer of its own-brand cars so far this year in the wake of its engine-rigging scandal, but rising demand in China helped soften the blow.
Volkswagen said in a statement that combined sales of all of its 12 different brands edged up by 0.8 per cent in the first three months of this year, with solid sales in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region offsetting falling sales in North and South America.
Volkswagen sold 2.508 million vehicles worldwide in the period from January to March, up from 2.488 million a year earlier.
"We achieved solid growth in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region in the first quarter, with China achieving its best start into the year since we entered the market there," said Volkswagen's sales chief, Fred Kappler.
Chinese sales grew by 6.4 per cent in the three-month period.
European sales were up 3.3 per cent and Asia-Pacific sales rose by 4.3 per cent, while sales in North America were down 2.1 per cent and sales in South America dropped by as much as 27.6 per cent.