The Volkswagen March 2018 sales figures slumped across the board, but were saved by strong sales of the Atlas, Tiguan and, strangely, the Beetle.
Sales across nearly all of Volkswagen’s lineup were down in March 2018. That would normally amount to a slump in sales for the brand itself. However, VW’s bacon was saved thanks to the strong sales of the new Tiguan and the Atlas. Other models, like the Jetta and Golf, saw double-digit drops in their sales last month. Strangely, the Beetle coupe saw a 48.1% jump in sales from this point last year, acting as the brand’s only other growing model in the U.S. market.
Before we get to the strong sellers, let’s look at those that slumped. The Golf, for instance, saw its sales decrease across the entire range. The normal Golf slipped below 1,000 units in March 2018, an 11.8% drop from where it was a year ago. Sales of the Golf GTi dropped 9.4%, while the performance Golf R’s sales were cut by a third. The e-Golf fared the worst – by percentage, at least. Its sales dropped by more than half, to 164 units in March 2018. The SportWagen sold nearly as well as the GTi, but it too slumped by a third.
Jetta sales didn’t fare that much better, with sales dropping by 43% from March 2017. That means Volkswagen shifted just 5,527 units last month, compared to the 9,700 they moved last year. Now, a 2019 Jetta is coming, so folks are likely holding off until that comes along. We also have the new Arteon coming, which may help spur on sales.
Beetle sales are growing?
Interestingly, the Beetle’s sales actually picked up from March 2017, despite the fact it hasn’t been significantly updated in six years. According to an Autocar report, though, this current generation will be the Beetle’s last. Perhaps people are getting their hands on the retro-styled car before it goes out of production sometime in the next few years.
Tiguan, Atlas sales strong
The Volkswagen Atlas is an all-new model that debuted to replace the aging and expensive Touareg. To compensate for the gap left in the company’s lineup, they extended the wheelbase to make the new Tiguan bigger. Now, Volkswagen will also produce a five-passenger variant of their largest SUV. They’ll base that model on the Atlas Cross Sport concept we saw at this year’s New York Auto Show.
The Atlas sold 6,063 units in March, but no comparison numbers are available yet, as it’s a new model. Still, that figure beat out every other Volkswagen model with the exception of the Tiguan. Speaking of the Tiguan, Volkswagen moved 8,276 of those in March 2018.
On the whole, Volkswagen’s sales are up 17.8% in March 2018, thanks in large part to customers’ demand for crossovers.
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