Volkswagen, the biggest European carmaker, sold a record 6.2 million vehicles last year owing to strong demand in eastern Europe, Brazil and China, VW said Monday.
The figure represented an increase of eight percent from 2006, with all of VW's brands — VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Lamborghini et Bugatti — contributing to the results, it added.
Increases were strongest in emerging economies, with sales in China jumping by 28 percent to more than 900,000 vehicles, in Brazil by 32 percent to 581,000 and in central and eastern Europe by 20 percent to 496,400 units, the company said.
German sales, which still represent the company's biggest single market, slipped by 4.8 percent for the entire group however, and by 9.0 percent for VW brand vehicles.
The group has begun to restructure activities in the United States meanwhile and is looking for a site on which to build a North American factory.
US sales slipped by 0.5 percent last year to a little more than 530,000 vehicles.
This year, Volkswagen expects more record sales, the statement quoted boss Martin Winterkorn as saying.
VW aims to overtake Japanese giant Toyota, which is itself closing in on General Motors as the world's leading auto manufacturer.
VW plans to sell eight million vehicles a year by 2012 and 11 million by 2018.
