Volkswagen Passes GM, Now Second In Global Auto Sales
With 7.4 million vehicles sold from January to September, Volkswagen passes GM
Although Toyota is still leading the pack, Volkswagen recently edged past General Motors to take second place in the global auto sales race for the first three quarters of the year.
While GM announced sales of 7.372 million cars and trucks worldwide from January through September of 2014, VW delivered 7.4 million vehicles over the same period. 881,300 of those vehicles were sold in September, accounting for a 3 percent increase in sales over September of last year.
Volkswagen passes GM, driven by models like the VW Jetta
“The Volkswagen Group grew deliveries further to well over seven million units in the first three quarters of the year. That is a very pleasing development, particularly given the differences in the way world markets have been performing,” said Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler. “Even though markets remain challenging, we nevertheless have the chance to reach the ten million deliveries mark this year – four years earlier than originally planned.”
One of the “challenging markets” that Klingler is referring to is the United States, where VW sales are down roughly 6 percent through September. But despite two years of declining American sales, the Volkswagen brand is continuing to grow globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, where China is now VW’s largest single market.
Volkswagen Passes GM: The automaker hopes to reach ten million sales by the end of 2014, with help from popular models like the 2015 VW Golf TSI
GM, despite its third place finish behind Volkswagen, is also growing. The automaker had its best third-quarter global sales since 1980, and CEO Mary Barra stated that GM has new models going on sale in North America, Europe, and China that should keep the momentum going.
Toyota will not release its numbers until late October, but the company – like Volkswagen – is setting its sights on selling 10 million cars by the end of the year, and is expected to retain its first place position.
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.