VW is growing worldwide: booming electric cars, China in a decline!

VW is growing worldwide: booming electric cars, China in a decline!

In the second quarter of 2023, the Volkswagen Group took a small growth step and sold 2.27 million vehicles worldwide. This corresponds to an increase of 1.2 percent compared to the previous year. This positive development can also be seen in the figures of the first six months, which is also in plus, according to news38.de.

in China, where VW is traditionally strong, the group has increased the sales by almost a third by almost a third despite a sunken electric car market, thanks to its focus on combustion technology. On the European market, on the other hand, the sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) have literally passed through the ceiling and rose by almost 75 percent. This is also due to the fact that the orders for electric cars in Western Europe are increasing significantly and the core brand VW car records an increase of 4 percent in the second quarter.

The electric car market is booming in Europe

In the first half of 2025, Volkswagen added an impressive sum of 4.4 million cars to its global sales figures, which corresponds to an increase of 1.3 percent compared to the previous year. The main driver of this growth is the sales figures for electric vehicles, which rose by a whopping 47 percent to 465,500 units, such as tagesschau.de. Interestingly, VW's market share has increased to 28 percent at electric cars in Europe, whereby every fifth vehicle that is delivered in Western Europe is now electrical.

But the simultaneous development also represents challenges. In the United States, there have been car import duties of 27.5 percent since April 2025, the Audi and Porsche heavily burden and let sales be sacked there by 8.5 percent. Volkswagen boss Oliver Blume is therefore committed to lower tariffs and investments in the United States. In addition, Audi is considering establishing its own factory in the country.

Volkswagen under pressure in China

What about what about China? In the first half of the year, VW had to accept a decrease in paragraph by 2.3 percent, which adds up to over 1.3 million cars. Although a slight plus of 2.8 percent was recorded in the second quarter, the main focus on the profitable business with combustion vehicles remains, which has recently been strategically decided. However, premium brands such as Audi suffer from 5.9 percent to 783,531 cars, although the electric cars were added 32 percent to 101,381 units.

In the highly competitive market, the Chinese manufacturer BYD Volkswagen has now overtaken in China in car sales. According to the recent data, the manufacturer is faced with challenges that include weaker sales and falling market shares in China, which illustrates the need for a savings program to ensure investments in e-mobility and autonomous driving.

the look into the future

The current business figures are therefore a mixture of light and shadow. Although Volkswagen stands well compared to other manufacturers, the falling sales figures show, especially with Audi and Porsche, that innovation and adaptability are crucial. By 2030, the group plans to reduce over 35,000 jobs in Germany in order to achieve the corporate goals. Ultimately, it will have to be shown whether the future strategic decisions and investments can improve the current balance sheet, while Volkswagen continues to operate in a rapidly changing market, where the competition does not sleep.

In total, Volkswagen remains a heavyweight of the automotive industry, but the challenges should not be underestimated. The next steps must be carefully considered so that the company does not fall behind.