Volkswagen AG ended the year 2016 as the leading automaker in the world. This was surprising to many, as the car maker had received a huge blow in sales as they battled dieselgate episode across the globe. But seems like the effects are taking a toll on the German brand in 2017, as for the first quarter, their sales figures put them not on second, but on the third spot, behind Toyota and Renault Nissan Alliance.
Renault Nissan sales have far exceeded that of Volkswagen AG for Jan – Mar 2017 period. Toyota continued to be in the lead with first quarterly sales up 7.5% at 2,707,251 units closely followed by Renault Nissan with its double digit growth while Volkswagen has lost half a percent as compared to Q1 2016 sales.
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Volkswagen’s volume model, Golf, also failed to live upto expectations. It is no longer the best selling car in Europe, a record which has maintained for years now. The new best selling car in Europe is the Ford Fiesta, as per data released by JATO Dynamics. But, there is hope for VW to regain the lead very soon, as the VW Golf, which nears the end of its cycle, will soon get a new generation Mk8. This could be one of the reason why sales of the outgoing model have drastically diminished. Diesel engine registrations have also gone down which has also impacted sales of the VW Golf.
JATO Dynamics states that this change in position could be a temporary feature as once the Golf Mk8 is launched, a change in position is once again expected. JATO is also in the process of formulating the top 10 auto companies for the first quarter of 2017 which will be released once data from all markets is received.
