The VW logo is seen on the front of one of dozens of new Passats made at the Chattanooga Volkswagen assembly plant parked outside the plant.The Volkswagen Group had a 6.5 percent rise in sales in January over a year ago despite a drop of 13.4 percent in the United States.
VW sold 798,100 vehicles to customers in the first month of the current year amid challenging economies in Europe.
"The Volkswagen Group has made a good start to the new year. And we are seeing the first increases in Europe, above all in Western Europe, where the downturn appears to have bottomed out," said group board member for sales Christian Klingler. "This is a good start to what will be a challenging year.
The group delivered 57,800 vehicles, off 7.7 percent, in the North America region in January. In the U.S., sales were 36,900, down 13.4 percent.
Sales in China were 344,400, up 15.5 percent, the company reported.