Declining demand in much of Europe was denting sales by the continent's largest auto maker, Volkswagen admitted on Friday.

The Wolfsburg-based 12-brand firm posted a meager 0.2-percent rise in sales in March, as it struggled with weak markets particularly in western Europe. Volkswagen sold a total of 684,400 units last month, amid weak demand seen too in South America and eastern Europe.

"But we do have positive impetus from North America and China, VW sales department chief Christian Klingler said in a statement.

Still on track globally

Looking at the first quarter as a whole, VW sold some 143,000 units in the US, marking an increase of 14.7 percent. It was even more successful in China.

VW and its two Chinese joint ventures, Shanghai Volkswagen and FAW Volkswagen, delivered nearly 770,000 cars to Chinese customers between January and March, 21.3 percent more than in the same period a year earlier.

"Building on this good result, we continue to focus on customer satisfaction which is an important pillar of further sustainable development," the chief executive of Volkswagen Group China, Jochem Heizmann, commented.

hg/jr (Reuters, dpa)