Volkswagen said on Friday (Jul 14) its Group deliveries increased 12.8 per cent year-on-year from January to June, registering growth in every region except China, which saw a 1.2 per cent drop in total deliveries and a 1.6 per cent drop in battery-electric cars.

The fall was partly due to particularly high sales in the same month last year after the government extended a tax break on EVs to boost sluggish demand following lockdowns, a spokesperson said.

EV sales in China have on balance risen since March, and June was the strongest month of the year so far, they added.

The carmaker is under heavy pressure from investors to boost EV sales in China as a growing swathe of Chinese competitors cutting prices threaten its dominance of the car market in the combustion engine era.

Battery-electric vehicle deliveries in North America, so far a weaker market for EVs than Europe or China, rose 75.5 per cent in the first half-year, with total deliveries up 14.2 per cent.

The carmaker remains market leader for battery-electric vehicles in Europe, it said, with 217,100 cars sold so far this year – a significant jump from last year, when sales took a hit from supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine.