VW 2012 profit up 2 pct as record sales outweigh tech costs

BERLIN Feb 22 (Reuters) - Volkswagen posted its highest-ever operating profit last year as gains from record vehicle sales outweighed costs of an engineering revamp.

Group operating profit rose 2.1 percent to 11.5 billion euros ($15.21 billion), the Wolfsburg-based car maker said on Friday, exactly in line with a forecast by 13 analysts in a Reuters survey.

VW increased global deliveries 11.2 percent last year to a record 9.1 million vehicles, mainly powered by demand from the United States, China and Eastern Europe. ($1 = 0.7563 euros) (Reporting by Andreas Cremer)