Volkswagen Group has sold 4.56 million cars last year, 6.8 percent less than in 2021. The company blames microchip shortage, supply chain disruptions and other challenges for this – and goes as far as to claim that they may all continue to be an issue in 2023, Motor1 reports.
Imelda Labbé, VW Member of the Board of Directors for Sales and Marketing, pointed out a strong influx of new orders that the companies were unable to process due to component deficits and logistic hurdles. She said she hoped the difficulties would be over in the coming year and the automotive industry as a whole would stabilize.
Despite the falling total sales, VW Group was successful on the electric car front with a 23.6% growth to 330,000 units. The ID.4 SUV (see video) accounted for nearly a half of all EVs sold.
Out of all Volkswagens that found new owners in 2022, only 143,100 did so in China. The German automaker hopes that the new year will be marked by a strong positive dynamic on that market.
Labbe also pointed out that the group had the broadest all-electric vehicle lineup worldwide. In three years, the company hopes to offer a zero-emission model in every conceivable segment of the market, ranging from superminis to the top-of-the-line vehicles like the ID.7.