Volkswagen AG, Europe’s biggest carmaker, said it expects to continue outperforming the auto market in the second half after posting a record 4.1 million deliveries in the first six months of the year.

Sales of cars, sport-utility vehicles and vans at the company’s brands including the Audi luxury division and Czech unit Skoda rose 14 percent, VW said today in an e-mailed statement. Global industry sales increased 6.1 percent in the same period, according to the company.

“We’re also confident we can perform better than the global automobile market during the second half,” VW sales chief Christian Klingler said in the statement. “Plenty of hard work lies ahead.”

Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen is counting on growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China to help surpass Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s biggest carmaker no later than 2018. VW has forecast its global sales will increase 5 percent this year after posting a record 7.2 million deliveries in 2010.

Sales in June increased 12 percent, the carmaker said.

Year-to-date sales were powered by a 29 percent gain in central and eastern Europe to 253,700 vehicles, a 20 percent increase in the U.S. to 211,100 units and a 16 percent rise in China, VW’s biggest market, to 1.1 million autos. Deliveries in VW’s German home-market rose 9.3 percent to 580,600 units, according to the statement.

The manufacturer said last month that it will expand third- quarter production of the Golf hatchback and Tiguan compact SUV at its main factory in Wolfsburg. 

(Bloomberg)