AUTONEWS

VW Group increases sales of trams but this was due to a reduction in the order bank

The Volkswagen Group significantly increased sales of electric vehicles in the first nine months of 2023, selling 531,500 battery-powered models on the global market. These results represent an increase of 45% compared to the same period of the previous year.

In the first nine months of 2023, all VW Group brands that produce electric vehicles (mainly VW, Audi, Skoda, Cupra and Porsche) saw these vehicles represent 7.9% of the German consortium's total sales, with Europe continuing to be the largest market for this type of vehicle, with sales soaring 61% to reach 341,000 units.

Equally important, the Chinese market increased by 4%, registering 117,100 units, with the German conglomerate expecting to close the year with an increase of up to 10% in sales of 100% electric models. But if the Volkswagen Group's results are good, in absolute terms, the reality is that there are doubts if we consider the relative values.

Arno Antlitz, the group's COO (chief operating officer), drew attention to the fact that the order bank, which until the beginning of 2023 was 300,000 units, has fallen to just 150,000, which represents a considerable cut in the backlog of orders. This discrepancy means that, despite the increase in sales, they are not sustainable, which makes all the difference.

Antlitz stated that the volume of orders is below expectations, with the ID.4 and ID.5 representing a sales volume of 162,100 units, with the ID.3 coming in second place (90,500 units). The Audi Q4 e-tron was third, selling 77,900 vehicles, while the Skoda Enyaq iV captivated 54,400 customers, while the Cupra Born reached 32,300 vehicles and the Audi Q8 e-tron announced 21,800 units.

Despite this good result in the field of electric vehicles, operating profits fell by 7% and sales fell by 8%. But Antlitz had more to share with the public. “We cannot be satisfied with our profit margins, which in the third quarter fell below our ambitious targets,” he warned.

Mundoquatrorodas