Volkswagen Turns in Small Sales Gain in Wake of Diesel-Emissions Scandal
HERNDON, Virginia – Car shoppers received a note of gratitude from Volkswagen of America on Tuesday as the beleaguered German automaker posted a small October sales gain in the first full month following its diesel-emissions scandal.
VW reported sales of 30,387 units in October, a 0.24 percent increase over October 2014.
“We would like to again thank our customers for their patience and loyalty,” said Mark McNabb, Volkswagen of American chief operating officer, in a statement. “Volkswagen is committed to making things right and actively working to restore trust.”
The automaker reported strong sales of several vehicles, including the Volkswagen Tiguan and Touareg SUVs.
Volkswagen offered a $2,000 customer loyalty incentive in October to keep buyers in the fold following a September 18 announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the automaker skirted clean-air standards by installing “defeat devices” in 482,000 U.S. diesel vehicles.
The offer ended on November 2.
It is unknown how the buying public will react to Monday’s EPA announcement that some 2014-‘16 Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi vehicles with 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel engines also contain illegal “defeat devices.”
The list of vehicles includes the 2014 Volkswagen Touareg, 2015 Porsche Cayenne and the 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5.
VW did not respond immediately to a query from Edmunds asking if the customer loyalty incentive would be extended into November.
Edmunds says: Car shoppers remain surprisingly loyal to VW at this point, but whether that goodwill will continue as the scandal grows is a major concern.
