Berlin - Despite rising gas prices, Europe's biggest carmaker Volkswagen AG's global sales climbed by 5.8 per cent in the first six months of the year, powered ahead by surging demand in emerging markets.

The rise in VW's worldwide deliveries to 3.27 million was the highest figure reached by the carmaker during the first six months of the year but warned world car markets were facing tougher conditions.

The increase during the first six months of the year followed a 23.2-per-cent jump in sales in China along with a 21.8-per-cent rise in Brazil and an 18.7-per-cent increase in Central and Eastern Europe's booming car markets.

In particular, sales during the first six months of the year raced ahead by 69.2 per cent in India, by 63.3 per cent in Russia and by 46.9 per cent in Ukraine.

The buoyant sales in emerging markets compared to the group's more subdued performance in Germany and Western Europe, where deliveries edged up 1.3 per cent and fell by 3.6 per cent respectively during the period from January to June.

But releasing the results, VW executive president Detlef Wittig warned that despite the increase, negative factors were accumulating.

"The storm clouds are clearly gathering over the world's automobile markets," he said.

"Nevertheless, thanks to the strength of our brand and our model range, our development in June and throughout the first months of 2008 has clearly been better than general market trends and we have grown our market share worldwide," he said. (dpa)