Volkswagen Trips And Falls With An 8% Tumble In November

Led by Atlas and Tiguan, SUVs made up 46 percent of VWoA’s November sales. All-new Tiguan sales lead the brand for the year with 81,123 units sold year to date. Jetta sales led the brand in November with 9,207 sold for the month. Atlas and all-new Tiguan sales rounded out the top three volume leaders for the brand in November with 5,233 and 6,794 units sold respectively.

November sales were impacted by delays in the certification process caused by a backlog in meeting new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure standards. Certification delays pushed back the arrival of some model year 2019 Golf models. 

“Our SUV momentum continued despite a difficult month for the industry,” said Derrick Hatami, executive vice president of sales, marketing and after sales for VWoA. “Our top three volume leaders were all up year-over-year and our SUV portfolio percentage has grown steadily thanks to the Atlas and Tiguan.”

CPO sales increased 18 percent over November 2017, with year-to-date CPO sales now up 25 percent.

mre30 - 12/3/2018 6:04:26 PM

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Atlas selling suprisingly well. I still think there is room for an "Atlas Luxus" for $60,000 at the top of the lineup with fancy(fancier) leather interior in nicer colors and real wood and a bigger engine (Audi TT V6) to pick off some XC90 or Q7 sales

MDarringer - 12/3/2018 6:34:00 PM

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The Atlas is NOT selling well. 5200 units a month in its segment is abject failure. That's 1/4 the volume of the aged Explorer.

mre30 - 12/3/2018 6:47:33 PM

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What volume should it do? Its not really a Passport or Highlander or Explorer, is it?

There are certain "off-brand" aspects of the Atlas, as a product, that makes me surprised it is doing as well as it is.

It might be a good big SUV package but it is a bad VW (though I think it shares VW's poor quality). What's with those cartoonish wheel arches? Who is VW hoping to sell it to? New VW customers? Bargain-conscious Euro-whores? All-Trak/Outback tree-huggers?

If you own a Highlander, an Explorer, or a Pilot, you do not wake up the day your lease ends and say "I want to lease a VW Atlas to try something different".

MDarringer - 12/3/2018 7:56:44 PM

+2 Boost

It is EXACTLY a Pilot/Highlander/Explorer/Traverse competitor. IT IS NOT a premium competitor.

Similarly, the Tiguan is a complete failure against CRV/RAV4/Escape/Equinox.

People shun these because the Passat tarnished the perception of VW by non-VW owners that flocked to it when the Passat was suddenly priced right. Newbies bought in and were stung by VW's poor quality. Also-ran status is probably the best it will get for VW.

The Atlas and Touareg should be replaced by a version of the new RWD/AWD Explorer now that VW and Ford are talking.

cidflekken - 12/4/2018 2:51:20 PM

+2 Boost

How can a company that sells about the same volume, as a single model, i.e., Accord or Camry, be profitable in this country?

And no, the Atlas is not selling well in comparison to its other rivals in the category. It is priced, sized, and executed with all of them, yet sells substantially fewer units.