Photo: screenshot from Youtube
While other automakers are only now beginning to struggle with their emissions problems, Volkswagen has begun to stabilize. We are only talking about the VW brand itself, the Group as a whole is doing even better.
In May, demand for Volkswagen brand cars decreased only 0.7 percent. News outlets are reporting that demand in China is offsetting the U.S. However, there's almost nothing left of the American market share. They could drop another 50%, and it would make almost no difference to the bottom line.
Last month, they sold 495,900, VW said in a statement earlier this week. Europe remains the motor that powers Volkswagen, as demand there actually grew 1.6 percent to 148,000 units.
More specifically, it's the launch of the hotly-anticipated second-generation Tiguan SUV that's driving sales upwards.
"Up to the end of May, the Tiguan had already generated more than 49,000 orders in Western Europe. The diesel recall campaign has started successfully and now includes the key models Golf, Tiguan, and Passat. Independent market studies also confirm that the residual values of our vehicles in Europe are stable," said sales chief Juergen Stackmann.
Thanks to the Passat, demand in China also exceeded that in May 2015. Sales there grew by 5.7%, while the U.S. witnessed a substantial 17% drop to 28,800 units.
As we've said, things look even better if all the brands are taken into account. Audi grew 6.7% in May, while Skoda added 4.5%. The mainly European business of SEAT was flat, and Porsche had a decline of 400 units or 2% over the month of May.
The Volkswagen Group is thus able to report an increase of 1.6% for the fifth month of the year. In the period to May, 4.2 million units were delivered, representing an increase of 0.8 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year.
However, we believe it's unclear for how long these brands will be able to rely on the growth of the Chinese market. And the newly revealed 2025 strategic plan to focus on EVs might not generate profits in the short run, seeing as there are currently only a million such cars in the world.
Last month, they sold 495,900, VW said in a statement earlier this week. Europe remains the motor that powers Volkswagen, as demand there actually grew 1.6 percent to 148,000 units.
More specifically, it's the launch of the hotly-anticipated second-generation Tiguan SUV that's driving sales upwards.
"Up to the end of May, the Tiguan had already generated more than 49,000 orders in Western Europe. The diesel recall campaign has started successfully and now includes the key models Golf, Tiguan, and Passat. Independent market studies also confirm that the residual values of our vehicles in Europe are stable," said sales chief Juergen Stackmann.
Thanks to the Passat, demand in China also exceeded that in May 2015. Sales there grew by 5.7%, while the U.S. witnessed a substantial 17% drop to 28,800 units.
As we've said, things look even better if all the brands are taken into account. Audi grew 6.7% in May, while Skoda added 4.5%. The mainly European business of SEAT was flat, and Porsche had a decline of 400 units or 2% over the month of May.
The Volkswagen Group is thus able to report an increase of 1.6% for the fifth month of the year. In the period to May, 4.2 million units were delivered, representing an increase of 0.8 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year.
However, we believe it's unclear for how long these brands will be able to rely on the growth of the Chinese market. And the newly revealed 2025 strategic plan to focus on EVs might not generate profits in the short run, seeing as there are currently only a million such cars in the world.
Google News