Volkswagen increases worldwide sales for nine months to end of September.

Europe’s largest automaker delivered 4.36 (January-September 2012: 4.21; +3.6 per cent) million vehicles from January to September. The passenger cars brand handed over 526,300 (September 2012: 492,800; +6.8 per cent) vehicles to customers in the month of September. “Volkswagen Passenger Cars has held its own well on world markets despite the challenging situation and continued to grow in China in particular,” Christian Klingler, Board Member for Sales and Marketing for the Volkswagen Group and the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, commented.

The brand recorded a 16.5 per cent rise from January to September in the Asia-Pacific region, handing over 1.95 (1.68) million units there, of which 1.79 (1.51; +18.2 per cent) million vehicles were delivered in China (excluding Hong Kong), the region’s largest single market. In contrast, deliveries in India declined to 45,900 (51,000; -10.0 per cent) units.

In the North America region, Volkswagen Passenger Cars grew deliveries by 2.1 per cent to 466,000 (456,500) vehicles, of which 314,800 (323,100; -2.6 per cent) models were handed over to customers in the United States. In the South America region, deliveries from January to September declined by 13.4 per cent to 542,500 (626,500) units, of which 407,400 (486,800; -16.3 per cent) vehicles were handed over in Brazil.

Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 1.23 (1.30; -5.7 per cent) million vehicles on the overall European market in the first three quarters, of which 616,400 (653,300; -5.6 per cent) units were handed over in Western Europe (excluding Germany). In the home market of Germany, delivery delays due to the bad weather in Wolfsburg which caused hailstorm damage to several thousand vehicles continued. As a result, deliveries to customers from January to September were down 8.2 per cent to 410,300 (447,000) units. Volkswagen Passenger Cars handed over 198,900 (199,800; -0.5 per cent) vehicles to customers in Central and Eastern Europe in the period to September, of which 117,200 (123,000; -4.7 per cent) units were delivered in Russia.

New Honda Mobilio and Brio for Indonesia

Honda Unveils Honda Mobilio Prototype at Indonesia International Motor Show, a New Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) for Asian Markets

JAKARTA, Indonesia, September 19, 2013 - P.T. Honda Prospect Motor (HPM), Honda's automobile manufacturing and sales joint venture in Indonesia, today exhibited the world premiere of a prototype of Honda Mobilio, the new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) developed exclusively for Asian markets, at the 21st Indonesia International Motor Show held in Jakarta, Indonesia from September 19 through 29, 2013. Other Honda vehicles on display include the Brio Satya, which will qualify for the Low Cost Green Car (LCGC) program implemented by the Indonesian government.

Honda Mobilio prototype

Brio Satya

The Honda Mobilio will be Honda's first model to be introduced in the lower priced MPV category, which is the best-selling category in the automobile market in Indonesia. Honda developed this model based on the research conducted in Indonesia regarding local road and weather conditions, and customer needs. While offering a spacious cabin space with a three row seat configuration for seven occupants, the Honda Mobilio features a compact-sized body fitting the general size of parking spaces in Indonesia which are of less than 4.4 m in length. Moreover, taking local road surface conditions into consideration, the Honda Mobilio features a ground clearance as high as 185mm, which is equivalent to the ground clearance of SUVs while achieving nimble driving performance. Equipped with a 1.5L i-VTEC� 4-cylinder gasoline engine, the Honda Mobilio will go on sales realizing both excellent driving performance and fuel economy. Production will be at the second plant of HPM which will become operational in January 2014 in the Karawang region of Indonesia.

The Brio Satya, which Honda introduced on September 11, 2013 prior to the motor show, is equipped with a 1.2L i-VTEC gasoline engine, achieving more than 20 km/L low fuel economy, which will qualify for LCGC program. This model will also be produced locally at the Karawang plant of HPM, realizing local content as high as 85%. To coincide with the production of the Brio Satya, HPM will expand the annual production capacity of its existing plant from the current 70,000 units to 80,000 units. Combined with the capacity of the second plant, which will become operational in early 2014, the overall annual production capacity of HPM will reach 200,000 units.

In addition to these new models, HPM exhibited the next-generation super sports model NSX Concept, as well as the new Brio Sports (1.3L), a successor model to the Thai-made Brio which became the best-selling vehicle in its class with sales of approximately 15,000 units* in the first 12 months since August 2012 in Indonesia.

*Honda Caluculations as of August 2013

Comment by Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.:
"The Honda Mobilio is the first model Honda has developed especially for the Indonesian market. Working closely with Honda operations here to study the unique needs of Indonesian customers, this Honda Mobilio will fulfill the dreams of Indonesian customers for an affordable family car featuring Honda's high standard of quality. We will continue to support the expansion of Honda business in Indonesia by introducing new products that meet the needs of our Indonesian customers."

ŠKODA produces 4,000,000th Octavia

•  ‘Heart of the brand’ - ŠKODA Octavia - setting new standards in the compact segment for almost 17 years
•  Millions sold: Best-selling ŠKODA ever
•  Winner: new ŠKODA Octavia successfully launched
•  International success model: production in the Czech Republic, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Ukraine  and from 2014 in China

ŠKODA has just produced the 4,000,000th ŠKODA Octavia. The anniversary vehicle – a third-generation Octavia in ‘Race-Blue’ rolled off the production line today at the Mladá Boleslav main plant. The ŠKODA Octavia has been setting standards in the compact segment since 1996 and is by far the brand’s best-selling model.



​“Four million Octavias produced – this impressive figure represents the great success of the model and brand,” says ŠKODA CEO Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. “As the ‘heart of the brand’, the Octavia has decisively shaped ŠKODA’s outstanding development and made the company what it is today – an internationally successful manufacturer, present on over 100 markets worldwide. We are continuing this development with the third generation. The new Octavia is once again a winner with its excellent ŠKODA genes.  It is the largest, lightest, safest, most practical, comfortable and environmentally friendly Octavia ever.”

The Octavia has always been the epitome of a ŠKODA: timelessly elegant design, above-average space, highest functionality, many Simply Clever features, sophisticated modern technology, quality and precision and not least unbeatable value for money. The launch of the third generation in early 2013 topped all of that again.  The new Octavia offers mid-class qualities for the price of a compact, now more than ever.

At its launch in October 1996, the Octavia was the first completely new ŠKODA model after the fall of the Iron Curtain and marked the start of the partnership between ŠKODA and Volkswagen. Nearly four million Octavias had been delivered to customers worldwide between 1996 and July 2013 - around 38% of the brand’s total sales in this period, making the Octavia the undisputed best seller in the 118-year history of the company.

This also makes the new Octavia the most important model in the most comprehensive product campaign in ŠKODA’s corporate history. The manufacturer is promoting its high-impact path of growth with a powerful model extravaganza. The aim of this growth strategy is to increase the number of vehicle sales worldwide to at least 1.5 million per year by 2018.

In the first half of 2013, the Czechs presented their new bestseller in four versions: the saloon, the Combi and Combi 4x4 as well as the sporty Octavia RS – with a top speed of 248 km/h, making it the fastest series-produced Octavia ever. As the cornerstone of ŠKODA’s growth strategy, the Octavia is an international success story. In addition to its manufacture at ŠKODA’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav, the compact car is also produced in Russia (Nizhny Novgorod), India (Aurangabad), Ukraine (Solomonovo) and Kazakhstan (Ust-Kamenogorsk).  Additional production is also planned from 2014 in China; ŠKODA’s strongest individual market.  “The ŠKODA Octavia is a car for Europe and the world, now more than ever,” says Vahland.

BSA bits scraps and allsorts - Colour

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