A significant annual upturn in deliveries has been reported by Volkswagen Group (VW) for the first eight months of the year and for August in particular.

According to the vehicle manufacturer's latest figures, a 5.6 per cent increase in deliveries for VW models was recorded between January and August in comparison to the same months of 2013 – 6.52 million vehicles in all.

Meanwhile, August itself recorded a 2.7 per cent annual upturn in performance for the firm, with 740,500 registrations.

Across the business' many brands, Audi remained a top performer for the month, with an annual increase in vehicle sales of 16.3 per cent in August and 10.5 per cent improved for the first eight months of the year.

Porsche also showed a number of positive signs from a strengthening marketplace, with a 12.2 per cent annual upturn in deliveries for August complemented by a 15.6 per cent rise for the year to date.

Meanwhile, both Volkswagen Passenger cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles reported annual growth for the first eight months of the year, while each of the Skoda and Seat brands performed admirably with double-digit deliveries improvement for both the month and year so far.

Across the globe, Western Europe (excluding Germany) remained one of the company's largest markets, with more than 1.3 million sales between January and August, while sales in both North and South America marginally declined over the period.

However, this downturn was more than offset by considerable growth in appeal for VW models in the Asia-Pacific region.

VW group board member for sales Christian Klingler stated: "Deliveries by the Volkswagen Group developed well in the first eight months. However, the economic environment in some world markets remains tense."

That said, he argued the business is in a strong position to weather the challenges of the coming months and remains confident that 2014 will be a positive year for the company overall.