VW group sales hit 2016 record 10.3mn cars despite dieselgate

BERLIN: Volkswagen group sales jumped 12 percent in December to take the annual figure to a record 10.3 million vehicles, the carmaker said on Tuesday, even as it grappled with its emissions scandal.

Volkswagen (VW) group deliveries including luxury brands Audi and Porsche increased to 933,300 vehicles last month from 834,700 a year earlier, fuelled by double-digit gains in China and the United States, with the total for the year up 3.8 percent from 9.93 million in 2015, it said.

Toyota said last month it expected to end 2016 with sales of 10.09 million vehicles, slightly below an initial forecast of 10.11 million.

The Japanese rival had already slipped behind VW on six-month figures and is expected to report full-year deliveries in early February.