Volkswagen Q3 deliveries drop 14.3% on China slump

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VW Group delivered 1.89 million vehicles in the third quarter as China deliveries fell 38.5%.

Volkswagen Group's global deliveries fell 14.3% in the third quarter to about 1.89 million vehicles, according to the company's figures as reported by RTTNews. Through the first nine months of 2026, deliveries are down 9% to 6.01 million.

China did most of the damage. VW delivered 405,800 vehicles there in the quarter, down 38.5% from 660,300 a year earlier. Through September, China deliveries are down 30.2% to about 1.38 million. Other regions slipped too: North America fell 5.8% to 232,700, Western Europe fell 2.8% to 780,000, and South America fell 2.4% to 175,300.

Why is China so tough? The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese brands have ramped up new model launches, intensifying a long-running price war. Most Western brands, including VW, have chosen not to join the discounting and keep their prices, which is hurting volume. The Journal also says Chinese buyers tend to prefer the more tech-heavy cars that local brands offer.

There are brighter spots. VW says deliveries outside China were stable overall through nine months, with growth in South America and Europe. It says about one in five vehicles delivered in Europe is fully electric and that EVs make up around 40% of its European order book, helped by high fuel prices and new entry-level models. In China, VW says it delivered about 30% more electrified vehicles in the third quarter than a year earlier.

For buyers, VW's struggles in China don't change much at the dealership here right away, but they add pressure on one of the world's biggest automakers at a time when it's also handling recalls and a shift to EVs.

Sources: RTTNews, Volkswagen Group, The Wall Street Journal, CBT News