VW July sales rise by 4%

German carmaker Volkswagen increased sales at its core passenger-car brand by 4 percent in July as higher deliveries in Europe and China offset declines in the Americas.

Sales of VW-branded cars and sport utility vehicles rose to 491,600 last month, compared with 472,800 a year ago, Wolfsburg-based VW said on Tuesday. Seven-month sales were up 3.8 percent to 3.56 million vehicles.

The firm boosted its business in China, posting a 16 percent increase in sales of cars in Asia-Pacific from January to July, of which 1.6 million vehicles were delivered in China, up 18 percent year-on-year, MarketWatch reported on Tuesday.

In Europe, VW sold 1 million cars since the beginning of the year, up 2.9 percent, MarketWatch reported, adding that the carmaker's sales in the US fell 14 percent to 209,700 cars.