BERLIN—Volkswagen Group sales fell by around a fifth in the first half of this year from a year earlier, company data showed on Friday, led by a steep drop in Europe, but battery-electric sales were boosted by growth in China.
Total deliveries to customers worldwide were down 22.4 percent in the second quarter of the year, with central and eastern Europe, which included Russia, hardest hit with a drop of 49.3 percent.
Volkswagen suspended trade and production in Russia in March and recently offered payoffs to employees for quitting voluntarily at one of its sites in the country by the end of the year. A trade union reported earlier this month the site was closing permanently….