The Automotive Quarterly report for March 2015 shows that despite high volatility, the stock market in 2014 experienced a strong increase of 9.6% in Europe and 15.6% worldwide. The automotive indices had a particularly positive development in the fourth quarter, with the loss of the third quarter almost being offset. The rally at the beginning of 2015 is not yet reflected in the data shown. The report highlights that sales and profitability are driven by record sales and visions. Volkswagen achieved a new delivery record in the fourth quarter, thanks to strong sales in China, despite weakness in the core brand. Daimler is the fastest growing premium brand and aims to become number one in the premium segment by 2020, with a focus on the Chinese market. BMW surpassed Daimler's car division Mercedes-Benz Cars in the fourth quarter and achieved a record sales year. The Korean company Hyundai-Kia experienced its lowest growth rate in over 10 years, due to the strong Korean won and exhausted production capacity. Toyota and Audi lead the market, while US OEMs are lagging behind.
