VW Brand Sales Rise 5% in March

Volkswagen Group reports deliveries of its namesake vehicles climbed to 557,800 units in March from 532,400 a year earlier.

VW brand sales in the first quarter of 2014 grew 4% to 1.48 million units, including a 7% jump to 422,300 vehicles in Europe. Quarterly sales rose nearly 8% to 225,100 units in western Europe and 5% in central and eastern Europe. Demand dropped 3% to 34,300 units in Russia.

Sales of VW vehicles in Asia Pacific surged 13% to 740,100 units in January-March, led by a 14% hike to 682,700 in China. Deliveries in India plunged 37% to 10,500 units.

Demand also shrank almost 8% to 134,600 units in North America in the first quarter, as sales in the U.S. dropped 11% to 87,300. VW describes the South American market, where volume fell 24% to 135,000 cars in the first quarter, as "tense."