Strong Atlas Sales Propel VW To A 5.7% Increase In June

Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VWoA) today reported sales of 28,941 units delivered in June 2018, an increase of 5.7 percent over June 2017. With 172,898 units delivered year-to-date in 2018, the company is reporting a 7.2 percent increase in year-over-year sales.

“The first half of 2018 has been encouraging,” said Derrick Hatami, Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and After Sales for Volkswagen of America. “We have experienced a sales increase each month this year—and in June, we were particularly encouraged by the first full month of sales of the all-new 2019 Jetta, marking our best month of Jetta sales this year. The strength of the all-new 2018 Tiguan also continued to impress through June and the vehicle has been responsible for more than 25 percent of our total volume this year.”

For the 2018 model year, most new Volkswagen vehicles in the U.S. will come with the People First Warranty, a six-year or 72,000-mile (whichever occurs first) bumper-to-bumper New Vehicle Limited Warranty, which can be transferred to subsequent owners throughout its duration.

carsnyc - 7/3/2018 12:55:06 PM

+3 Boost

At $30k Atlas is rightly priced for those wanting a big SUV. The new VW warranty also helps.

cidflekken - 7/3/2018 12:56:19 PM

+5 Boost

"Strong Atlas sales" at 25% of a Highlander's sales......

MDarringer - 7/3/2018 3:44:57 PM

+1 Boost

Indeed. It's absolutely a laughable failure in the segment.

cidflekken - 7/4/2018 12:36:32 AM

+4 Boost

LOL Actually totally misjudged that. The Atlas was only 14% of Highlander's sales. Ha!

MDarringer - 7/4/2018 11:37:11 AM

+1 Boost

While the Atlas isn't as horribly unreliable as VWs typically are, it's not rock-solid like a Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Hyundai, or Kia either and then you figure in its silly extra expense that gets you nothing.

Volkswagen doesn't understand that it must put out products that are demonstrably better than the benchmark for the segment, that their reliability must be beyond reproach, and that their asking price must be an advantageous value (i.e. BELOW the competition] to BUY SALES.

Volkswagen should never have let Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Hyundai-Kia displace them. When they held onto the Beetle too long, they never fought back doggedly, aggressively, and long term to stem the tide.

The Passat/Rabbit/Scirocco were a great stab in the right direction, but when VW saw them being successful they sat on their laurels instead of doubling down with "GTI/GLI" versions and frequent styling updates. When those cars got old and dated, VW put out malaise-era products of inferior quality that damned the company.

The Atlas should have been an aggressive rallying point, but the PR campaign is nonexistent. The Atlas should be in clever marketing 24-7 on TV and social media. There should be extremely aggressive leasing to prime the pump. The Tiguan should have doubled the fanfare. But no. We have perfunctory marketing attempts.

It's more like:

Hey we have a new car called the Atlas yay!

[Atlas forgotten] Hey we have a new Tiguan yay!

[Tiguan forgotten] Betta getta Jetta

mini22 - 7/5/2018 8:42:29 PM

+1 Boost

VW has a lot of SUV/CUV rebuilding in the market place. Of course reliability is an important quotient for any car maker for successful sales. However FCA has been selling cars that have consistently been at the bottom of the JD Power rating(below VW). Jeep certainly sells in volume. Ram sells in volume. It is conceivable that VW's SUV volume would continue to improve in spite of its poor advertising. The new Jetta appears to be a decent car. As for the question of leasing that depends on how confident VW is in these models holding their value. You cannot offer a great or aggressive lease if the future value of these cars after 3 years in the toilet.