The Volkswagen Group delivered 438,500 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) across its brands during the first half of the year, representing a 5.8% year-over-year decline. While the automaker continued to lead Europe’s EV market, steep drops in the United States and China weighed heavily on its global electric vehicle performance.
The latest delivery figures come at a challenging time for Volkswagen. The company is reportedly preparing a major restructuring that could include factory closures and significant workforce reductions as it seeks to improve competitiveness, particularly in China, where intense price competition and slowing demand continue to pressure automakers.
Volkswagen Global Deliveries Decline
From January through June, Volkswagen Group delivered 4.13 million vehicles worldwide, down 6% compared with the same period last year when deliveries reached 4.41 million units.
Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 438,500 deliveries, while second-quarter BEV deliveries totaled 238,400 units, a 4.2% decline year over year. Fully electric vehicles represented 10.6% of the Group’s total global deliveries during the first six months of the year.
Europe Continues to Drive Volkswagen’s EV Growth
Despite weaker global results, Europe remained Volkswagen’s strongest market for electric vehicles.
The Group delivered 377,000 BEVs in Europe, an 8.4% increase compared with the first half of last year, allowing Volkswagen to maintain its position as the region’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer.
The picture was considerably different outside Europe:
– United States: BEV deliveries fell 69% in the first half of the year.
– China: BEV deliveries declined 48% year over year.
Volkswagen noted that second-quarter results showed some improvement, with declines easing to 49% in the U.S. and 36% in China.
According to the company, weaker U.S. performance was driven by the expiration of government incentive programs and the impact of higher tariffs. In China, Volkswagen pointed to encouraging early demand for its newly developed local electric models, although market conditions remain highly competitive.
Plug-In Hybrid Sales Continue to Grow
While fully electric vehicle sales softened, Volkswagen recorded strong growth in electrified models equipped with combustion engines.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), including extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), increased 27% to 246,000 deliveries during the first half of the year. These vehicles represented approximately 6% of Volkswagen Group’s total sales.
The company’s first EREV model for China, the ID. ERA 9X04, is also showing encouraging momentum, with deliveries reportedly approaching 10,000 units.
Regional Performance Remains Mixed
Volkswagen’s global delivery results reflected significant regional differences.
Strong performances in South America (+8%), Western Europe (+3%), and Central and Eastern Europe (+7%) helped offset part of the decline in China, where overall deliveries dropped 26% year over year.
North America also posted a modest 3% decline, highlighting that conventional gasoline-powered models continue to outperform the company’s electric lineup in the region.
Volkswagen Group’s Best-Selling Electric Vehicles
The Group’s best-selling battery-electric models during the first half of the year were:
1. Skoda Elroq – 59,900 units
2. Volkswagen ID.4 / ID.5 – 53,700
3. Skoda Enyaq (including Coupé) – 48,300
4. Volkswagen ID.3 – 44,400
5. Audi Q4 e-tron – 33,800
6. Audi Q6 e-tron – 31,900
7. Volkswagen ID.7 (including Tourer) – 29,500
8. Volkswagen ID. Buzz (including Cargo) – 27,200
9. Cupra Born – 20,800
10. Audi A6 e-tron – 18,400
The rankings highlight Skoda’s growing importance within Volkswagen’s electric vehicle portfolio, with two models occupying the top three positions.
Skoda Emerges as Volkswagen Group’s EV Growth Leader
Battery-electric sales varied significantly across Volkswagen Group’s individual brands.
Skoda posted an impressive 48% increase in BEV deliveries, making it one of the company’s strongest performers and an increasingly important contributor to overall EV volume.
In contrast, Volkswagen Passenger Cars experienced a 28% decline, while Porsche recorded the sharpest drop among major brands, with BEV deliveries falling 31%.
Skoda’s rapid growth has significantly narrowed the gap with the Volkswagen brand. During the first half of the year, Volkswagen sold only about 30,000 more electric vehicles than Skoda, compared with a difference of nearly 120,000 units a year earlier.
Volkswagen Expects EV Demand to Recover
Despite the softer delivery figures, Volkswagen remains optimistic about demand for electric vehicles in Europe.
The company says its European BEV order backlog has increased by more than 50%, while overall vehicle orders have risen 4%. Battery-electric vehicles now account for over 30% of the Group’s total order backlog.
Volkswagen also reported strong customer interest in its newly launched Electric Urban Car Family, which includes the Volkswagen ID. Polo, Skoda Epiq, and Cupra Raval. Together, the three models have already generated more than 54,000 orders.
Marco Schubert, Member of the Extended Group Board of Management for Sales at Volkswagen, said the Group achieved roughly 2% growth outside China during the first half of the year, supported by stronger performances in Europe and South America.
Schubert also noted that customer response to the Electric Urban Car Family has exceeded expectations, while acknowledging that China remains a difficult market due to a sharp decline in overall demand despite encouraging early reception for Volkswagen’s newly developed locally produced electric vehicles.
Although Volkswagen faces significant headwinds in two of the world’s largest EV markets, strong European demand, a growing order backlog, and the success of new affordable electric models suggest the automaker expects its EV momentum to improve during the second half of the year.
