VW Car Sales Shrank 6% in May

Volkswagen Group says its VW passenger car brand delivered 499,500 vehicles worldwide last month compared with 531,000 in May 2014.

Board member Christian Klingler, who heads sales and marketing for the group and VW brand, blames the 6% decline on two fewer sales days in May this year and a "tense and mixed" market environment.

VW brand car sales totaled 2.48 million in January-May, down 3% from the same period in 2014, according to the company. Deliveries rose 6% in Germany but plunged 22% in central and eastern Europe. Sales in Russia plummeted 47% to 29,800.

Volume in Asia Pacific slipped 3% to 1.21 million units in the first five months of 2015 because of a 4% decline to 1.12 million vehicles in China. Sales in North America grew 3% to 241,300 units, but volume in the U.S. fell 4% to 144,000 vehicles.

Sales shrinkage continued in South America. VW says its deliveries of VW brand cars in January-May dropped 22% to 207,700 units, led by a 28% decline to 155,700 in Brazil.