The Automotive Quarterly report for June 2015 shows that the global stock market indices performed positively in the first quarter of 2015, with the overall market index increasing more than in the previous comparison quarters. In Europe, the ECB's bond purchase program had a positive impact on the economy (+22.8% market index price change in one year). The automotive index was even more positive, with European values significantly increasing, with a plus of 30.4% in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the previous year. Sales and profitability were strong, with German OEMs achieving positive sales growth in their Pkw segments compared to the previous year. Premium manufacturers Daimler, BMW, and Audi achieved slightly stronger sales growth in their Pkw segments than the Volkswagen Group brands with 14.7%, 14.1%, and 13.2%, respectively, while Volkswagen continues to struggle with its core brand. Toyota's enormous sales increase in the first quarter of 2015 was due to a special effect caused by exchange rate fluctuations in the Euro-Yen exchange rate. For all international OEMs, the short-term economic development is strongly influenced by currency effects.
