Volkswagen may very well be on the way to becoming the “diesel brand” in the US. Yesterday the company announced that a whopping 26% of their total sales for June were new “clean diesel” cars. The diesel models claimed their best ever sales month of 5072 units.
Leading those sales was the Jetta SportWagen of which 81% percent of all sold were TDI’s. This means that when you see a Jetta SportWagen on the road it is most likely going to be a diesel. Furthermore, 40% of all Taureg sales were diesel models.
This represents a sea change for Volkeswagen in the US, who has more diesel models on the way soon including the 2010 Golf TDI. What it says about consumer demand for diesel autos is also significant. While some automakers in America are still turning up their nose and laughing, VW/Audi is being rewarded in the showrooms for their strategy. Now that diesel prices have fallen back to being the least expensive of fuels, consumers have only responded more positively.
“Volkswagen of America is encouraged by the momentum of our clean diesel TDI sales,” said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “It appears that U.S. consumers are starting to realize the many benefits of today’s clean diesels–vehicles that attain more than 30 percent better fuel economy while emitting 25 percent less greenhouse gas emission, all without sacrificing driving dynamics,” Barnes added.
