Volkswagen’s November Sales Tumble in Wake of Diesel-Emissions Crisis

HERNDON, Virginia – Volkswagen of America reported a steep sales decline of 24.7 percent in November, as the German automaker began to feel the repercussions of its diesel-emissions scandal.

VW’s dismal sales results, a stark contrast to the strong reports posted by many major automakers, were attributed to the impact of the recent stop-sale for all VW’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder TDI diesel vehicles as well as for the company’s 3.0-liter V6 TDI.

The EPA said the affected VW vehicles emit 40 times the amount of nitrogen oxide pollutants than allowed. The vehicles contain illegal software known as “defeat devices” that skirt U.S. clean air rules.

“Volkswagen is working tirelessly on an approved remedy for the affected TDI vehicles,” said Mark McNabb, Volkswagen of America chief operating officer, in a statement on Tuesday. “During this time we would like to thank our dealers and customers for their continued patience and loyalty.”

One bright spot in the VW sales report was the performance of the Volkswagen Tiguan SUV. VW sold 3,907 Tiguans for an 87.7 percent increase over November 2014. The automaker said it was the best November for the vehicle.

The Volkswagen Golf family notched a 2.9 percent increase over the previous November.

Sister brand Audi of America, which is also affected by the diesel-emissions crisis, said “demand for core Audi models remained strong for the month.”

Audi tallied a modest sales increase of 0.4 percent for November.

Edmunds says: The fallout from the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal takes on dramatic proportions in the monthly sales report. A key question is whether car shoppers will remain loyal to the brand in the future.