VW sales pass eight million

Good news from the Volkswagen Group at the Detroit Motor Show, when it announced that global vehicle sales rose above 8m for the first time last year, passing Toyota and moving closer to expected number one General Motors.

VW Group’s worldwide vehicle sales were up 14.3 per cent to an all-time high of 8.16m thanks to strong growth in the US, China and Russia. The VW, Audi and Skoda brands all posted record numbers.

The German carmaker has vowed to reach annual sales of 10m by 2018 and become the world’s biggest-selling manufacturer. GM has not yet reported its 2011 sales, but they are likely to be close to 9m according to industry analysts. Toyota’s sales are estimated to have fallen 6 per cent to 7.9m last year.

VW CEO Martin Winterkorn said that he does not expect the economic climate to hurt car sales in 2012, even though the market in Europe is expected to be slow.