Volkswagen sales down in 2025 amid dwindling demand from US, China

Sales at German carmaker Volkswagen were down by 1.4% in 2025, driven by weak demand in China and the US, the company reported.

The Volkswagen core brand delivered 4.37 million vehicles worldwide last year, the Wolfsburg-based carmaker said, citing "challenging market conditions."

In China, where Europe's biggest carmaker faces fierce competition from domestic electric vehicle manufacturers, sales slumped by 8.4% to 2.02 million vehicles.

Deliveries in North America were down 8.2% to 544,000, with new US tariffs leaving a "marked impact," according to the company.

Meanwhile, demand grew in Europe, where sales were up by 5.1% to 1.32 million vehicles. In South America, Volkswagen deliveries increased by 18.5% to some 568,000.

EV sales failed to achieve growth overall, with some 382,000 all-electric ID models delivered worldwide in 2025, down 0.2% year-on-year.

By contrast, EV deliveries in Europe were up by nearly 50% to 248,000 vehicles. In the German domestic market, EV sales rose by 60% year-on-year, reaching 94,000 deliveries.

The Volkswagen Group, which also includes the Audi, Škoda and Bentley brands, among others, delivered nearly 9 million vehicles worldwide in 2025, down 0.5% year-on-year, according to figures this week.