Golf: Up 45 per cent
Polo: 885 Sold since launch
Transporter: Up 25 per cent
 Volkswagen has continued its
impressive growth in the Australian car market
with sales up 49.5 per cent in the first half of
1997, with all models in Volkswagen’s
Australian range scoring increases in sales and,
says the importer, Inchcape Motors Australia, the
increases would have been even higher if
shortages hadn’t restricted sales.
Lead by the Volkswagen
brand, sales for the Volkswagen Group in
Australia, Europe’s number one car maker,
are also up with total sales of 4910 vehicles and
an increase of 20 per cent over the same period
last year. Volkswagen sales rose from 2356 to
3523, compared to 1996 and June was the best ever
month in Australia for Transporter at 365 units.
"I could not ask for a
better start for my first month in Australia and
as head of Volkswagen," says Ewan Ramsay,
the newly-appointed Managing Director for
Volkswagen in Australia. "What these figures
clearly point to is where we plan to take
Volkswagen in Australia and the calibre of staff
at our headquarters and in Volkswagen dealerships
across Australia. These figures were achieved
with limited supply on all key models and, of
course, we do not market the full European range.
When we have full supply and a larger range of
cars and commercial vehicles, our figures will be
even more impressive."
Volkswagen AG, with its
Volkswagen Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles,
Audi, SEAT and Skoda brands, is Europe’s
largest car and commercial vehicle maker and it
is ranked fourth in the world. But manufacturing
is not restricted to Europe, with car plants in
Africa, North and South America and in Asia,
where it commands more than 60 per cent of the
Chinese car market, making it the largest car
maker in South East Asia.
Since the return of a full
range of Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Commercial
Vehicles to the Australian market three years
ago, the German car maker has shown consistent
growth under the stewardship of Inchcape Motors
Australia, its Sydney-based importer.
In line with
Volkswagen’s plans to considerably increase
its sales worldwide, Volkswagen now plans a
substantial increase in Australian sales over the
next five years by both increasing sales of
existing models and adding new models, such as
the new Caravelle in October and the acclaimed
new Volkswagen Passat early next year. The
Australian importer is also pressing Volkswagen
for early supply of the new Volkswagen Beetle,
with 5,000 Australians already on the priority
purchase list for the reborn Beetle.
"Volkswagen has
enormous potential for the Australian
market," says Ewan Ramsay. "It has a
unique range of vehicles supported by one of the
most forward thinking car makers in the world. It
has also made it clear that Asia and Australia
are central to its plans for expansion, which is
good news for Australian buyers who will see a
greater choice of vehicles at keen, value for
money prices, backed by impressive new levels of
customer service."
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