Volkswagen Sales Up, Lamborghini, Bentley And Seat Down

Nauman Farooq
by Nauman Farooq
2010 was overall a very good year for Volkswagen, but it could have been even better if some of the other brands they own also made a profit.

While Volkswagen had the most successful year in its history, selling 7.2-million units globally and making 7.1-billion Euros along the way, its brands such Bentley, Seat and Lamborghini lost a whole bunch of money last year.

Their British luxury brand Bentley lost 245-million Euros, despite a sales increase of 11% over 2009. Development costs for new models is part of the reason for its poor financial standing.

Their Spanish family car brand Seat had also underperformed. While sales were up 0.8% over 2009, their operational loss amounted to 311-million Euros.

Their Italian supercar brand Lamborghini has been hit very hard due to poor economic conditions worldwide, and while an exact figure is unknown, their sales were down by 14%. This resulted in a decline in revenue by 10-million Euros.

Volkswagen’s CEO Martin Winterkorn however is still upbeat and feels things will turn around. How many of these brands will be in the black this year remains to be seen.

[Source: Automotive News]

Nauman Farooq
Nauman Farooq

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