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Volkswagen’s March sales were down nearly 20 percent compared to last March, a smaller drop than many other OEMs faced last month in a tough US market. Wolfsburg’s new Passat CC had its best sales month ever at 2,351 sales, but only new models such as the CC, Tiguan, Routan and Jetta Sportwagon kept VW’s sales looking decent. Models which were on sale in March of last year are down dramatically, from the Rabbit (-60 percent) to the “new” Beetle (-60 percent) and from the Eos (-62 percent) to the Passat (-72.4 percent). The best-performing existing VW model was the Jetta sedan which lost only 27.4 percent of its sales. Otherwise, things were pretty much a bloodbath that is only barely being papered over by new-model sales.
12 Comments on “VW Records 19.7 Percent Sales Drop...”
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VW hates North American – so it looks like we’re just hating them right back. Fair is fair.
Wolfsburg’s new Passat CC had its best sales month ever, 2,351 sales
You have to admire these pitchmen….
Exactly WHEN did VW start selling the CC?
Sort of like saying that Marie Antoinette’s hair looked better on the day of her execution than on any day since…..
“our seven passenger minivan, Routan, doubled its sales over last month”
Don’t they mean Chrysler’s minivan. And where did they find over 2,000 suckers for that thing?
For what its worth I’ve been seeing alot of Passat CCs on the roads down here in FL.
Why are they still (not) selling the Routan? Hasn’t the joke gone on long enough? And the fact that the New Beetle is still selling at all is actually rather shocking to me.
I get the impression that VW is stocking only low-end models. I’ve been looking through the online inventory of my local dealers lately and have noticed mostly base vehicles and none with DSG transmissions or decent option packages.
What ever VW is moving must be very basic.
Those Routan’s have to be fleet. I cannot imagine anyone getting fleeced that badly.
Not surprised about the New Beetle. I think there’s just a natural market for the model, a market that is slowly dying off. I rarely see younger people driving them…..
They need to stop prefacing Beetle with “new”. It was new 10 years ago. Now it’s old, but has been slightly refreshed. The Beetle’s only engine option now is the craptastic 2.5 gas engine. No 2.0T or TDI option. So what’s the point in even offering it?
I just ordered new suspension components for my 2003 Jetta. Gotta keep it around until at least 2013. By then maybe VW will have a vehicle I actually want to buy new! (I can dream)
It is a shame that the MKV GTI is stuck in this mess. I find it to be a great car for these times. Drivers car, great interior, good on gas, can be tuned up for a mere $600 to keep up with the best of hot hatches……………….and has been reliable to boot.
I guess the idiots, I mean customers, buying VW’s must have slightly more resilient job prospects than most.
Then again were not talking very much volume here compared to the majors, so a 20% drop is quite significant.
The VW bashing here is getting boring. Sure the Routan is pretty stupid…but to call all owners “idiots”?! I’d like jmhm2003 to disclose what they drive and I’m positive I could find some fault and call them some name they don’t really deserve in return. For the record, I’m completely, absolutely, positively overjoyed that I get to drive a fun and economical car like the GTI everyday.
Not sure I’d call a Routan buyer and idiot, but they surely must be drinking some pretty strong VW kool-aid to go with a Routan over much better offerings from Honda and Toyota.
The only new VW’s I’ve seen lately are TDI Jetta’s. A cult car for the anti-Prius crowd which has lost appeal with the drop in oil prices.
I still have yet to see very many 6th Gen Passat and they have been around since what? 2005? That car has got to be considered a flop compared to the 5th gen.
Also seen more co-workers trade in their old VW’s on new Toyota’s, Honda’s and Hyundai’s than on new VW’s.
From where I’m sitting the Volkswagen slide appears to have started years ago long before the greater economy took a crap.
200k-min:
VW’s decline has been ongoing. Sometimes things look up when they occasionally make a smart decision for the NA market, but most of the time things are pretty depressing. I like VWs because they’ve been the only company to offer a diesel engine consistently over the years. I enjoy the torque, sound, and fuel efficiency of a small diesel engine.
However, if I had to rely on a VW stealership for service, I would have gone to a Honda or Toyota by now. Thanks to the Internet, there are excellent resources like TDIClub.com. If that didn’t exist, I likely would be driving a Corolla or something like that. VW’s fortunes in North America won’t improve until they fix their horrific dealer network, and offer cars that more people want to buy. I’m personally waiting for a Polo TDI, Touran TDI, or a Tiguan TDI. I might be dead by the time either of them arrive, but it might happen in the next 50 years!