Customers in the U.S. are still demanding Volkswagen diesels regardless of all the controversy surrounding misleading emissions practices. Diesels represented almost 12 percent of Volkswagen’s U.S. sales for the month of April, a significant portion considering the automaker just started providing these automobiles again for the very first time since September 2015.
Volkswagen went back to selling new 2015 diesel cars in mid-April, the automaker has confirmed. Recently, the EPA cleared Volkswagen Group to sell these automobiles in the United States after an authorized software upgrade. More diesel repairs are anticipated to be authorized in the coming weeks, according to unnamed sources knowledgeable about the matter.
In April, VW sold 3,196 diesel vehicles in the United States, representing nearly 12 percent of the brand’s sales amounting to 27,557. While remarkable, it’s not close to the 25-percent share that diesels commanded prior the scandal hit.
As part of its strategy to make things right, VW has bought back almost 238,000 diesel automobiles from customers. However, it has not started reselling these automobiles, focusing only on new 2015 models.
Although customers are apparently still interested in VW diesels, the automaker states it has no plans to make brand-new diesel models for the United States, instead, it’s turning its focus to electrical automobiles. Volkswagen Group wishes to sell 2-3 million electric vehicles per year throughout the world by 2025, and North America is anticipated to be a crucial part of that goal.
