Volkswagen has reportedly experienced an increase in its commercial vehicles division sales to customers by an impressive 7.6 percent which translates to a record of 231,500 vehicles in the first half of 2007.

This was partly due to the growing demand in their Brazil division for the heavy trucks sales, which was said to increase nearly a quarter to about 21,750 vehicles, which was a commendable figure compared to last year’s 17,700. But apart from this surge of growth in the Brazilian units, the division was also said to improve to an all-time high mainly because of its 7.4 gain in sales of its smallest model, the Caddy delivery van.

It was made known that Volkswagen was planning to fold the group’s Brazilian heavy trucks unit—and possibly its entire commercial vehicle division into a combined MAN-Scania entity, which was said to become Europe’s truck market leader. Demands rose for its larger Transporter models which earned a gain of 3.7 percent, as well as its Crafter models which gained 1.5 percent.

MAN’s unsolicited 10 billion-euro ($13.6 billion) takeover bid for Scania collapsed in January this year due mainly to opposition from Investor to a hostile buyout of the fiercely independent Scania. Any deal would require above all the approval of the Wallenberg industrial family of Sweden, which controls through Investor AB the second largest stake in Scania with roughly 20 percent of the votes.

However, shares in Volkswagen slid 0.4 percent lower, in line with the DJ Stoxx European auto sector index.