Wolfsburg - Europe's biggest carmaker Volkswagen AG confirmed Wednesday a jump in first-quarter earnings after worldwide deliveries increased by 7 per cent.

Wolfsburg-based VW said operating profit rose by 21 per cent to 1.3 billion euros (2.02 billion dollars) during the first three months of the year, with profit after tax climbing by about 26 per cent to 929 million euros.

This followed a rise in deliveries during the first three months to 1.57 million vehicles with the group saying that all its brands reported an improved operating profit during the first quarter.

"The success of our products shows that our new model rollout is meeting with an excellent response from our customers," VW Chef Martin Winterkorn said. (dpa)