Last time we mentioned 2013 global car sales, Toyota was the undisputed No. 1, while GM was second, closely followed by VW. While at the time Volkswagen said it sold “over 9.7 million” vehicles in 2013, now the German carmaker has provided a more precise figure, which makes it the world’s second-biggest carmaker.
VW’s global sales chief Christian Klinger said the carmaker delivered 9.73 million vehicles last year, narrowly exceeding GM’s 9.71 million units. A VW spokesman confirmed the figure, which includes sales of VW-owned truck makers MAN and Scania.
The Germans aim to overtake Toyota and become the world’s biggest carmaker by 2018. The Japanese automaker sold 9.98 million vehicles in 2013, including deliveries from truck maker Hino Motors and minicar-specialized company Daihatsu Motor.
VW’s sales growth in recent years have been fueled by increasing demand in China, where the German company last year edged out GM for the first time in nine years. VW also benefitted from growth at luxury brands Audi and Porsche.
Volkswagen isn’t that successful in North America, though, where it trails GM and Toyota. To close the gap, the company announced plans to spend more than $7 billion during the next five years in the region, seeking to boost sales to 1 million vehicles in the U.S. by 2018. VW Group sold 565,800 units in the United States last year.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Bloomberg
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