Volkswagen delivered 20.7 per cent fewer commercial vehicles worldwide in 2009, compared to the previous year.

The manufacturer sold 354,770 light commercial vehicles to customers worldwide – down from 447,244 in 2008.

Selling the most was the Caddy with a total of 139,826, but even this was fewer than in 2008 when the model sold 151,488.

Stephan Schaller, chief executive of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, was optimistic about the situation, despite admitting that the company suffered from the recession, partly due to being excluded from government investment programmes.

In Germany, the company’s home market, it registered just a 0.9 per cent drop in sales.

He said: "Even Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles couldn’t escape the effects of the altered economic climate, but we have increased the distance between ourselves and the competition."

Volkswagen recently unveiled its new compact coupe hybrid car at the Detroit Motor Show which opened earlier this week and runs until January 24th.

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