July 18 (Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG , Europe's largest carmaker, said the next-generation Golf and redesigned Passat will boost earnings this year, even as competitors are squeezed by slumping demand and rising costs.

The Golf will be profitable immediately and will outsell the current version, VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said in an interview yesterday, standing by a forecast of record sales and rising operating profit.

``We're making very good progress,'' Winterkorn said at the company's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The new Tiguan compact sport-utility vehicle, coupe-style Passat and Scirocco sports hatchback will also help sustain sales amid slumping auto markets in the U.S. and Europe, he said.

European car sales fell 7.9 percent in June as consumer... // Bloomberg

July 18 (Bloomberg) -- Volkswagen AG , Europe's largest carmaker, said the next-generation Golf and other new models will boost earnings this year, even as competitors are squeezed by slumping demand and rising costs.

The Golf will be profitable from the get-go and will outsell the current version, VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said in an interview yesterday, standing by a forecast of record sales and rising operating profit.

``We're making very good progress,'' Winterkorn said at the company's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The new Tiguan compact sport-utility vehicle, coupe-style Passat and Scirocco sports hatchback will also help sustain sales amid slumping auto markets in the U.S. and Europe, he said.

European car sales fell 7.9 percent in June as consumer... // Bloomberg