BERLIN -- Volkswagen Group reported its lowest sales in over a decade in 2022 as COVID-19 lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine upended supply chains, and a fourth-quarter recovery risks running into further challenges this year.
The group, whose brands range from mass-market VWs and Skodas to premium Audis and Bentleys, said on Thursday in a statement that demand dropped 7 percent to 8.3 million vehicles last year. Sales of full-electric cars fared better however, rising 26 percent. The ID4 and ID5 were the best-selling electric models.
The overall sales tally indicates the group will remain in second place globally for the third year in a row behind Japan's Toyota Group, which by November had already produced over 9.5 million cars.
VW Group sales rose 14 percent in the fourth quarter, but the outlook for 2023 remains clouded by weak economies and supply-chain shortages, extended executive sales committee member Hildegard Wortmann said.
Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley weathered 2022 better than VW brand and Skoda, with deliveries down around 4 percent at the premium brands and down 9 percent for mass-market vehicles.