Volkswagen AG, Europe’s largest automaker, said global first-half deliveries exceeded 4 million cars and sport-utility vehicles for the first time, powered by demand in all markets.

Sales at VW’s namesake car division rose 12 percent in the first six months of the year to 2.53 million vehicles, the Wolfsburg, Germany-based company said today in a statement. Deliveries in June gained 9.8 percent to 438,500 vehicles. The manufacturer will release sales figures for all its brands, including the Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini marques, on July 15, reported Bloomberg.

“Volkswagen continues to stay on the accelerator in all markets and vehicle segments,” Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said late yesterday at a reception in Berlin.

Volkswagen is counting on growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China to help surpass Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s biggest carmaker no later than 2018. VW has forecast global sales will increase 5 percent this year after posting a record 7.2 million deliveries of cars, SUVs and vans in 2010.

The German manufacturer said last month that it will expand third-quarter production of the VW Golf hatchback and Tiguan compact SUV at its main factory in Wolfsburg to meet strong order growth. VW will maintain reduced-shift production during workers’ three-week summer vacation at two German plants and add several weekend shifts following the summer break.

VW may post “good” results for the first six months, Winterkorn said, without specifying numbers. The carmaker is scheduled to publish first-half earnings on July 28.

The sales expansion at VW’s main automotive unit was powered by a 22 percent jump to more than 237,700 vehicles in North America, a 13 percent gain to 852,800 units in China, the carmaker’s biggest market, and a 42 percent surge to 92,300 vehicles in central and eastern Europe, VW said today.

VW plans to invest 51.6 billion euros ($71.8 billion) in its automotive business over the next five years, with an additional 10.6 billion euros to be spent through its two joint ventures in China, the world’s largest auto market. VW will hire more than 50,000 workers through 2018 to increase full-year sales to more than 10 million vehicles.

Winterkorn said yesterday that no decisions have been made yet on plans by the Audi luxury brand to build a factory in North America, though “very intensive discussions” to that end are ongoing. Audi may build an engine and transmission plant, which could be shared with the VW brand, according to an Automotive News Europe report this week that cited unidentified company officials.

Volkswagen aims to seize the “great potential for growth” in the commercial-vehicle market by pushing for a three-way alliance of its van division with MAN SE, the Munich-based truckmaker that the car manufacturer is buying, and VW’s Scania AB division in Sweden, Winterkorn said.

VW will own 55.9 percent of MAN’s voting rights following regulatory clearance of a tender offer that ended June 29. The carmaker aims for the three-way combination to save as much as 1 billion euros in vehicle-development and purchasing costs.

“VW wants to and will use those chances,” the CEO said. “The basis for this is substantial cooperation between MAN, Scania and VW in all areas.”