Smart Motorist

Volkswagen sales rose 16% in first half of this year compared to same period of 2009 due to strong demand from China. German group sold 3.58 million cars, of which a quarter went to China.

"We are also optimistic about the year and we expect to have better performance than the market," said Volkswagen's sales director, Christian Klingler, in a press release Friday.

Chinese car sales growth fell below 20% in June for the first time in 14 months, once the impact of governmental measures supporting the automotive market has disappeared, and labor protests in several Chinese factories in production.

German market, Volkswagen's sales dropped by 16% in first half due to completion of the program of "junk" conducted last year by authorities.

By 2008, Germany was by far the most important market for Volkswagen, but the group's sales volume in China is now close at the local level.

Source: http://www.volkswagen.com/