FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group's global deliveries of full-electric vehicles more than doubled in the first half, mostly driven by demand in Europe.
Deliveries of full-electric models from the group's VW, Audi, Porsche, and Skoda brands rose 165 percent to 170,939 from 64,462 during the same period last year, VW Group said in a statement on Tuesday.
Europe was the automaker's top EV market, with sales of 128,078, up 156 percent.
The U.S. and China were a distant second and third, with U.S. sales up 321 percent to 18,514 and China up 110 percent to 18,285.
Chinese sales of VW's ID4 have been sluggish, Reuters reported in June.
VW Group's sales chief, Christian Dahlheim, said the automaker expects sales in China to get a significant boost in the third quarter from the June market launch of the ID6 seven-seat electric crossover.
The VW brand accounted for most of the group's sales of full-electric cars.
The brand's first new-generation EV, the ID3 compact hatchback, launched in Europe last year. It was followed by the ID4 crossover, which was also launched in the U.S. and China in March.
VW brand's deliveries of full-electric cars rose 182 percent to 92,859 in the first half.
Audi, which sells the Q4 e-tron and e-tron GT, saw its full-electric sales grow 69 percent to 32,775.
Porsche, whose only full-electric car is the Taycan, sold 19,822 EVs, up 342 percent.
Skoda's full-electric car sales were 17,697, up 257 percent, while Seat sold 6,172 full-electric cars, up 186 percent.
Plug-in hybrids on rise
VW Group said deliveries of plug-in hybrids more than tripled to 171,300 from 56,303 in the first half.
