 "Volkswagen to refit 11 mn cars hit by emission scandal")
Many Volkswagen-branded models, including the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Passat and Touareg, posted year-over-year losses. But automakers including GM, Ford, Fiat Chrysler , Hyundai and Nissan all reported double-digit gains.
The auto industry reported one of the best sales months in 10 years in September, but it was a different story for Volkswagen of America. The automaker said that its sales were flat last month, in its first sales report since the emissions scandal that has engulfed the company was revealed two weeks ago.
The automaker said it had sold 145 more vehicles over all, up 0.56 per cent, over the same period a year ago. Many of the German automaker's Volkswagen-branded models, including the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Passat and Touareg, posted year-over-year losses.
But automakers including General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Nissan all reported double-digit gains. Helped by a strong Labor Day weekend, total industrywide sales in the United States increased 16 per cent compared with last September. Even Volkswagen's Audi brand joined in the gains, with a 16 per cent increase.
Over all, the industry's seasonally adjusted annual selling rate was 18.17 million vehicles, the highest rate since July 2005, according to Autodata.
"Volkswagen is in a totally different boat," said Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds.com, who added that things could have been worse, if not for Labor Day coming shortly before the emissions-rigging became known.
Caldwell said that if Volkswagen did not act quickly to fix the problem, it risked being left out of one of the best sales environments in years.
According to data from the auto research website Kelley Blue Book, every other automaker reported a rise in average transaction prices in September. VW's average sale price fell by more than $600.
Volkswagen's September sales were also affected by the fact that it stopped selling all two-litre-engine diesel vehicles shortly after regulators reported on September 18 that they contained software designed to fool emissions testing.
Diesel sales typically make up 20 to 25 per cent of Volkswagen's volume in the United States. The stop-sale order took that number down to 11.7 per cent for September, according to Volkswagen. The company sold 3,060 diesel vehicles for the month in the United States. That compares with 5,715 that were sold in September 2014, according to the company.
Caldwell said one of the most vital challenges for Volkswagen was to figure out, and quickly, a fix for the diesels' emissions systems that will please both consumers and regulators.
"It's kind of unheard-of that a company goes this long without announcing anything about next steps," she said, compared with how typical recalls unfold. "You have the dealers out there having to face consumers about what's going on, and not having any answers. It puts them in a very bad position."
Mark McNabb, chief operating officer at Volkswagen of America, said in a statement on Thursday that the company would "continue to work diligently to regain trust and confidence in our brand." Volkswagen officials declined a request for an interview on Thursday.
The company has promised regulators in Europe that it will have a proposed fix to announce by Wednesday, but it remains unclear when a fix for the American market - where emissions regulations are more stringent - will be ready.
There are some signals that American consumers are growing nervous about the brand. The number of Volkswagen diesel owners searching for information on trade-in values on Kelley Blue Book has jumped nearly 80 per cent since the scandal broke. TrueCar, another car shopping and research site, said consumer interest in Volkswagen's diesels had fallen 33 per cent since VW's admission that it had used software to fool emissions tests.
Analysts said Labor Day weekend, and a calendar quirk, most likely helped cushion the blow for Volkswagen in September, since it is one of the biggest sales weekends of the year at dealerships. This year, Labor Day weekend sales were counted as part of September figures instead of August's, as is more commonly the practice. That helped bolster monthly sales for all automakers, and also led to higher-than-normal percentage increases, since September 2014 did not include the holiday weekend's sales.
Fiat Chrysler was up 14 per cent, continuing its streak of consecutive monthly sales gains to 66 months. Ford posted its best monthly increase in nearly five years, with a 23 per cent gain. GM sales were up 13 per cent. Toyota finished with a 16 percent gain, Nissan rose 18 per cent and Honda increased 13 per cent.
©2015 The New York Times News Service
