Volkswagen deliveries post steepest drop in more than four years as China weakness deepens

German automaker Volkswagen reported a significant 14.3% decline in global vehicle deliveries in the third quarter, marking its steepest drop in over four years. The main cause of this decline was the ongoing weakness in China, which is Volkswagen's largest market. Deliveries in China plummeted by 38.5% in the quarter, and the year-to-date total saw a 30.2% decrease.

In contrast, deliveries in North America fell by 5.8%, while they increased by 2.8% in Western Europe, and rose slightly by 1.4% in Central and Eastern Europe. Martin Sander, a member of the group’s extended executive committee, attributed the sharp decline to the ongoing challenges in the Chinese market. This downturn follows similar reports from other German automakers, such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, who both posted weaker delivery figures in recent weeks.

The overall decline in global battery-electric vehicle deliveries was around 5% in the quarter, slowing due to decreased demand in China and increased competition from local manufacturers.