Volkswagen deliveries post steepest drop in more than four years as China weakness deepens

Oct 12 (Reuters) - German ‌automaker Volkswagen reported ​a ​14.3% decline in global deliveries in the third quarter on Monday, its ‌sharpest drop in more than four years, ⁠as weakness in China, its largest market, continued to ‌weigh on sales.

Deliveries, a ‌closely watched proxy for sales, fell to 1.89 million vehicles in the quarter.

Deliveries in ​China tumbled 38.5% in the quarter and were down 30.2% in the first nine ⁠months of the year. Deliveries fell 5.8% in North America ​and 2.8% in Western Europe, but rose 1.4% in Central and Eastern Europe.

"The ​sharp decline in the overall ‌market in China remains an industry-wide challenge," Martin Sander, a member of ⁠the group's extended executive committee, said in a statement.

The drop in deliveries was Volkswagen's steepest since ⁠a 22.4% decline in the second quarter of 2022.

Volkswagen ​is the latest German automaker to report deteriorating sales in China after Porsche and Mercedes-Benz both posted weaker ‌delivery figures last week.

Global deliveries of battery-electric vehicles fell about 5% in ‌the quarter despite a near 20% increase ⁠in Europe, reflecting ‌weaker demand in ​China and growing competition from domestic manufacturers.

(Reporting by Danny Callaghan; Editing by Matt ‌Scuffham)

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