The Volkswagen Group recorded higher global sales figures at the start of the year. In January, VW delivered 698,200 passenger cars and commercial vehicles to customers, 13 percent more than a year earlier. The Wolfsburg-based car manufacturer announced this on Friday. The growth is exclusively attributable to China. Sales in Western Europe fell by three percent and by one percent in North America. In China, on the other hand, VW sold 290,900 vehicles in January, an increase of 43 percent.