The company said 2016 deliveries gave it confidence for 2017, a year in which the company expects to launch several new models across all its regions.

In China, Volkswagen delivered 303,100 cars in December, a 28.7 percent rise, while in Germany monthly deliveries dropped 14.3 percent to 38,800.

(Reporting by Harro ten Wolde; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)