Sales at Volkswagen's core division fell for a seventh time in eight months in May as slowing momentum in China and declines in Latin America outweighed gains in Europe. Deliveries at VW's namesake brand, which accounts for 60 percent of group sales, dropped 5.9 percent year-on-year to 499,500 models, VW said on Wednesday, noting the drop was exacerbated by two fewer working days.
Except for February, when brand sales held steady at 413,700 cars, deliveries at VW's biggest auto division by sales and revenue have slid in every month since last October. Adjusted for selling days, last month's decline was in line with the 4.8 percent drop seen in April, which was the largest decline in several years, a spokesman at Wolfsburg-based VW said.
The drop may foreshadow further gloom at group level after overall VW sales, including at luxury division Audi and Czech unit Skoda, fell in April for the first time since December 2009. Europe's largest automaker is seeking to draw up a new company structure to help raise profitability and tackle underperformance abroad. It is due to publish group-wide deliveries for May on Friday.