(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 30 apr - German automotive group Volkswagen said that in the first quarter its sales revenue fell an annual 2% to 75.7 billion euros as the volume decline was partly offset by strong business in Europe and growth in the financial services business.

The group sold 2.0 million vehicles in the quarter, down 7% from a year ago, with rowth in South America (+3%), Western Europe (+1%) and Central and Eastern Europe (+7%) only partially offsets declines in China (-20%) and North America (-9%).

Operating profit fell 14.3% to 2.5 billion euros mainly due to special effects in the Brand Group Core, Brand Group Trucks, and higher US tariffs. The operating return on sales was 3.3% from 3.7% In the automotive sector, net cash flow was 2.0 billion euros compared with a negative 0.8 billion a year ago. The improvement reflects partly the stronger operating performance before special effects, strict investment discipline in M&A activities, and lower tax payments. Net liquidity remained at a solid level of 34.2 billion euros from 34.5 billion at end December 2025.

Volkswagen expects sales revenue in 2026 to rise 0-3% from 2025 leels and the operating return on sales to range between 4.0-5.5%.

In the Automotive Division, the company expects an investment ratio of between 11-12% in 2026. Net cash flow for the year 2026 is expected to range between 3-6 billion euros and net liquidity in the Automotive Division is expected to range between 32-34 billion euros.

The forecast is based on the assumption that the current tariff situation in international trade remains unchanged.

The potential future impact of an escalation in the Middle East cannot be reliably assessed at present and is therefore.

not reflected in the forecasted figures.

(RADIOCOR) 30-04-26 08:18:44 (0178) 5 NNNN