BERLIN (AP) — Germany's Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, says it saw record demand for its cars in 2011 with a total of 5.1 million sold worldwide.
Volkswagen AG said Friday car sales were up 13.1 percent compared with the previous year.
Europe and China were Volkswagen's biggest markets, with 1.72 million cars sold in each. China saw 13.8 percent growth while Europe reported a 11.2 percent increase.
North America saw a 22.2 percent rise to almost a half million cars — 324,400 in the U.S., where sales rose 26.3 percent.
Lowest growth was reported in South America, which saw a 2.2 percent rise to 772,800 cars sold. Smaller markets saw the most dramatic increases, with a 151 percent rise in India to 76,100, and a 100 percent increase in Russia to 118,000.