Atlas

Make
Volkswagen
Segment
SUV

Volkswagen is still in a public relations swamp as Dieselgate refuses to die. In Germany right now, Volkswagen is mired in court battles while at the same time is trying to reinvent itself globally through fresh branding and a big electric vehicle initiative.

However, in the US it looks like business is booming. Volkswagen just released it's October business update and while September's sales were down by 12 percent compared to the same month in 2018, the total year-to-date sales are up by 4.5 percent over 2018.

As expected, SUV sales are driving Volkswagen forward, and September's SUV sales are up 15 percent over 2018's numbers. In total, Volkswagen sold 14,111 SUV's in September, which makes up 52 percent of the German automaker's sales. The reason for the overall dip in September sales versus 2018's figures is all about passenger cars as they dropped by a massive 30 percent.

"Our SUV sales continue to drive our growth. We expect the start of production on the redesigned Passat to give our sedan sales a boost, and along with the upcoming Cross Sport, set us up for success in 2020," says Werner Eichhorn, chief sales and marketing officer, VW, North American Region.

Yet the sales volume leader for Volkswagen last month is still a passenger car. The Jetta sold a healthy 8,090 units in September. That brings its sales to date this year to 74,741 and up by 22% on last year. The Tiguan took an extra 26 percent of sales over 2018, but it's the Atlas that's coming on strong for Volkswagen in America. A total of 6,064 were sold in September and that's up a massive 41% over last year, while the year-to-date figure is 59,705 units and that's up 39 percent over 2018's figures.

Volkswagen's figures are also showing its expanded SUV lineup is helping to keep Volkswagen customers coming back to the brand, while Jetta and Golf models are demonstrating even more brand loyalty than last year.