We thought it would take years for Volkswagen to fully recover from Dieselgate but boy were we wrong. VW Group posted a monster sales year in 2017 with 10.7 million vehicles delivered, making it one of the largest automakers in the world. But not the largest. That honor went to the Renault-Nissan Alliance, whose acquisition of Mitsubishi helped place it at number one.

While this defeat likely didn't sit well with the Germans, VW has struck back in 2018 with 10.83 million vehicles delivered worldwide, a new all-time record for an automaker. While some automakers are currently tabulating their final sales figures, it looks like VW has taken the sales crown for now.

VW attributes its record sales year to growth and market share gains in South America, Europe, the USA, and China. With an onslaught of new models from its Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat, Porsche, and Lamborghini brands, the VW Group was able to overcome various economic risks in various regions and managed to increase sales by 7% compared to 2017. Even issues such as the WLTP emissions regulations in Europe and economic uncertainty in China weren't enough to slow down VW.

Dr. Christian Dahlheim, Head of Volkswagen Group Sales said, "Even though setting new records is no longer our primary goal, we are very pleased about this great result. Especially in the second half, things were not easy for us in 2018. It was possible to achieve this new deliveries record for the Group thanks to a combination of outstanding products and the high level of trust placed in us by our customers. In view of volatile geopolitical developments, our business will face an equally strong headwind in 2019. In my opinion, the Volkswagen Group is well-positioned to meet the upcoming challenges. We face the future with optimism."