VW clean diesels have best sales month since launch in June

Jun 3rd 2009 at 3:18PM
May was another dismal month for car sales pretty much everywhere, including Volkswagen. There was however one bright spot at VW: sales of its Jetta TDI. Overall, sales of the Jetta were up 27.6 percent in May and it appears that most of that gain was due to the new Sportwagen and TDI versions. The 2009 Jetta TDI was the first tier 2 bin 5 compliant clean diesel car to make it to market last year when the first examples went on sale in August. The diesel versions of the Jetta have always been popular when they have been available in the U.S. and this new one was no exception.

In May, TDI sales had their best month yet at 3,862 cars sold, accounting for over 36 percent of Jetta sales. The Jetta TDI remains the most affordable of the new diesels currently available in the U.S. The only other car is the BMW 335d which starts at $44,000 with the other options all being SUVs. This fall, the new Golf TDI will join the Jetta at VW dealers and Audi will start selling the A3 TDI.


[Source: Volkswagen]

Volkswagen Reports May 2009 Sales

PRNewswire
HERNDON, Va.

Best clean diesel sales month since launch of all-new TDI

HERNDON, Va., June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced May 2009 sales of 19,568 units, a 12.4 percent decrease over May 2008.

Volkswagen of America's volume model, the Jetta, posted its best sales month since August of 2008 with sales of 8,992 units. The Jetta SportWagen posted its best sales month since its launch last year with sales of 1,605 units. Volkswagen's award winning clean diesel models also posted their best sales month since their launch last year with 3,862 units sold.

"In this challenging economy, Volkswagen is pleased with our May sales results," said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "We're really encouraged by how well our Jetta sedan and SportWagen did in May, and equally excited by how well our TDI clean diesel models continue to sell," added Barnes.

Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Eos, Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.

  VW-US Snapshot             ---------- YEAR-TO-DATE ----------

          May-09 May-08  Yr/Yr % May-09 YTD May-08 YTD Yr/Yr %

          Actual Actual  change  Actual    Actual  change

  Rabbit      611   2,393  -74.5%   3,408    9,253  -63.2%

  GTI       857   1,159  -26.1%   2,814    5,102  -44.8%

  R32        1    315  -99.7%    133    1,918  -93.1%

    Total

    Rabbit/GTI/

    R32    1,469   3,867        6,355   16,273  -60.9%

  Jetta

   Sdn      8,992   8,303   8.3%  30,676   37,415  -18.0%

   SportWagen  1,605     -   0.0%   5,554      -    N/A

    Total

    Jetta   10,597   8,303   27.6%  36,230   37,415   -3.2%

  New Beetle

   - Coupe     602   1,678  -64.1%   4,058    6,378  -36.4%

   - Convertible  570   1,809  -68.5%   1,861    5,312  -65.0%

    Total New

    Beetle   1,172   3,487  -66.4%   5,919   11,690  -49.4%

  Eos      1,009   1,807  -44.2%   2,978    6,634  -55.1%

  Passat

   Sdn       851   3,016  -71.8%   4,194   13,358  -68.6%

   Wgn       228    678  -66.4%   1,018    2,923  -65.2%

    Total

    Passat   1,079   3,694  -70.8%   5,212   16,281  -68.0%

  CC       1,419     -    N/A   8,290          N/A

  Tiguan     1,133    679   66.9%   5,207     679  666.9%

  Touareg     300    509  -41.1%   1,599    3,344  -52.2%

  Routan     1,390     -    N/A   6,191      -    N/A

      TOTAL 19,568  22,346   -12.4%  77,981   92,316  -15.5%

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