Volkswagen Passenger Cars set new global sales record in 2010: 4.5M units, up 13.9% YoY
07 January 2011
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand ended 2010 with a new record of 4.50 million vehicles delivered to customers worldwide for the first time in a twelve-month period. That’s up 13.9% from 3.95 million units in 2009.
The Volkswagen brand reported substantial growth in key markets such as China, the USA, Russia and India. More than 1.51 million vehicles were delivered in China during the full year 2010, a 35.5% year-on-year (YoY) increase. In the USA, 256,800 vehicles were delivered, up 20.3%. In Russia, vehicle deliveries ran at 58,900 (39,500) units, representing a year-on-year rise of 49.1%. In India, the Volkswagen brand delivered 30,300 vehicles, or more than ten times the 2,800 units of 2009.
Brand deliveries in the entire Asia/Pacific region during the last twelve months grew 37.6% to 1.65 million vehicles. Total North American deliveries hit 406,400 up 17.9%) units, and the brand reported a 2.9% increase in South America to 756,500 (735,100) units.
Delivery levels in Europe dropped slightly, with the Volkswagen brand delivering more than 1.55 million units (-1.2%); the overall European market contracted by 2.5%.
This proves that the world economy is shifting fast. When VW and Buick are selling more cars in Asia than in their home continent, something has changed.
I watched a 2-hour documentary on South Korea last night and I understand better why LG, Samsung, Hyundai and many of their firms are so successful. Samsung's Digital cities are examples of higher productivity, workmanship, quality, very competitive products with respect of the environment. The health care and education system within those Digital Cities (and most of South Korea) is really something amazing. We have nothing close to it. South Korea is on the road to the top (per capita) production race. Their approach to quality products is second to none and as good if not better than Japan. We will certainly see more and more high quality made in South Korea vehicles, Appliances, machinery, tools, TVs, cell phones, e-books, cameras etc in the future.
Our unionized workers, with their acquired attitude and lower productivity, cannot compete. They are due for a major shock as production will keep moving to South Korea and other Asian countries. This will mean many thousands factories closing in the next few years.
Continued lower employment may be on the horizon unless we can find effective ways to be more competitive. We may have to work as much as they do.
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 January 2011 at 12:41 PM
In 1960, America was the greatest creditor in history - even after the debt of WW II. President Eisenhower warned us of the military/industrial complex as our representatives lead us into Vietnams and now we are the world's greatest debtor nation.
It costs a million dollars a year to supply one US soldier occuping a foreign country. Those million tax dollars could instead provide a thousand poor Americans food, perhaps even a annual medical exam. There's little productivity without health.
But America has the GM Volt, the Patriot Act, shelters the world's most billionairs and, after fifty years, has perfected trickle-down economics.
Posted by: kelly | 07 January 2011 at 05:05 PM