Despite seemingly every television station blasting us with stories about the Dieselgate scandal, Volkswagen can still rely on the loyalty of its customers. According to a recently published study, the majority of German car buyers still believe Volkswagen builds "outstanding" cars.
65% of the 1,000 people polled by market research firm Prophet have said they still like Volkswagens and believe the emissions scandal has been exaggerated. The number seems extremely high, considering brands like BMW, Mercedes and Opel also have a loyal following. Perhaps the numbers don't just show people like Golfs and Passats, but that German customers are better informed about automotive technology.
Germany is Europe's biggest car market by volume and value. Not only that, but the auto industry accounts for more than 750,000 jobs in Europe's biggest economy, tens of thousands of which could be in jeopardy due to the scandal.
Still, while we expected people to love cars made in their own country, American's aren't entirely against the brand either. While some are seeking legal representation, others are using words like "too bad," as their TDI engines deliver great economy numbers without loss of performance.
According to Prophet, roughly two-thirds of the people interviewed believe the scandal will be forgotten in about a year. 91% of them say other manufacturers also manipulate fuel consumption numbers, which suggests German car buyers make informed decisions. Despite Volkswagen publicly admitting it installed a hidden software that manipulates emissions numbers, 65% of the citizens asked said they might consider buying a car from them in the future.
"VW has built a great brand asset with the people over the years. This cannot be consumed by the scandal in one fell swoop. While some confidence will be lost, the truth could win some of it back," Prophet partner Felix Stöckle rated the survey results.
So damage to the brand can be minimized. However, the bigger problem of a global recall still looms. We're also looking at penalties imposed by governments across the world and it's still unknown how many billions will be lost.
Germany is Europe's biggest car market by volume and value. Not only that, but the auto industry accounts for more than 750,000 jobs in Europe's biggest economy, tens of thousands of which could be in jeopardy due to the scandal.
Still, while we expected people to love cars made in their own country, American's aren't entirely against the brand either. While some are seeking legal representation, others are using words like "too bad," as their TDI engines deliver great economy numbers without loss of performance.
According to Prophet, roughly two-thirds of the people interviewed believe the scandal will be forgotten in about a year. 91% of them say other manufacturers also manipulate fuel consumption numbers, which suggests German car buyers make informed decisions. Despite Volkswagen publicly admitting it installed a hidden software that manipulates emissions numbers, 65% of the citizens asked said they might consider buying a car from them in the future.
"VW has built a great brand asset with the people over the years. This cannot be consumed by the scandal in one fell swoop. While some confidence will be lost, the truth could win some of it back," Prophet partner Felix Stöckle rated the survey results.
So damage to the brand can be minimized. However, the bigger problem of a global recall still looms. We're also looking at penalties imposed by governments across the world and it's still unknown how many billions will be lost.