The Volkswagen Group delivered around 200,000 battery-electric vehicles in the first quarter of 2026, down eight per cent year-on-year. Strong double-digit growth in Europe was not enough to compensate for sharp declines in China and the United States.
Across all powertrains, the group delivered 2.05 million vehicles in the first three months of 2026, down 4% from 2.13 million units a year earlier. BEVs accounted for 9.8% of global deliveries, with around 200,000 units sold. In Western Europe, however, the BEV share increased from 19 to 20%, meaning roughly one in five vehicles delivered in the region was fully electric, compared to around one in ten globally.
Incentive programs scrapped
The decline in BEV deliveries in China and the U.S. was largely driven by the expiry of government incentive programs (in China at the turn of the year and in the USA in autumn 2025). These changes significantly impacted the group’s sales.
Ahead of the launch of new, locally developed electric models, Volkswagen Group’s BEV deliveries in China drop by 64%; in the U.S., the increased tariffs in effect since April 2025 have an additional impact, leading to an 80% decline,” the group stated.
Two positive trends emerged for the group’s management: demand for plug-in hybrids increased by 31% to 109,000 units in the first quarter, and order intake showed improvement. “Order intake across all powertrains rises by 3%, while BEV order intake increases by 4%,” VW reported. Key models driving this growth include the electric Skoda Elroq and the Porsche Cayenne Electric.
Challenging economic and geopolitical conditions.
“The first quarter of 2026 was once again characterized by very challenging economic and geopolitical conditions. The worldwide automotive market declined overall through the end of March,” said Marco Schubert, Member of the Extended Group Board for Sales.
“ Nevertheless, the Volkswagen Group largely maintained its global market share compared to the same period last year. Our delivery figures in Europe continued to show a positive trend. Here, we once again posted growth and also increased the share of all-electric vehicles. In China and the US, the total market declines also affected our deliveries.”
Schubert also noted that the war in the Middle East “led to disruptions in the directly affected markets” but had no significant impact on the group’s overall deliveries. He did not indicate whether this situation could change as the year progresses.
Instead, he expressed optimism about the future: “For the coming months, we expect further positive momentum from key new models such as the Electric Urban Car Family in Europe and new locally developed electric models in China.”
