Volkswagen posts 21% rise in MidEast sales

German car maker Volkswagen said on Monday its Middle East sales grew by 21 percent in 2011 compared to the previous year. The company said the new Jetta, the Touareg and the Golf models were the best performers, with 100 percent, 71 percent and 27 percent sales increases. This year, Volkswagen Middle East will be launching the Passat at the Qatar Motor Show and the New Polo Sedan in the latter half of the year, it said in a statement. Stefan Mecha, managing director Volkswagen Middle East, said: "We look forward to increasing the momentum of success achieved in 2011. "I anticipate a very prosperous year for Volkswagen Middle East while strengthening our competitive position in the Middle East automotive industry." 2011 also saw the announcement of the first Volkswagen Taxi fleet in Qatar which is in collaboration with Mowasalat - the Qatar Transport Company. Volkswagen Middle East, which supplied 300 new Jetta Taxis to Karwa Taxi Services, said fleet business continued to grow in the region, with sales increasing by 20 percent in 2011. Globally, Volkswagen achieved a 13.1 percent increase in sales, with 5.1 million vehicles delivered to customers - the highest number ever recorded by VW.