VW Reports 2013 Sales: Diesels Account for 23% of VW Sales in 2013, Overall Sales Dow

Mixed news from VW for 2013 but good news on the diesel front in the U.S>

Diesels Account for 23% of VW Sales in 2013, Overall Sales Down 7% for the Year

Sales of diesel-powered automobiles accounted for almost a quarter of Volkswagen’s 2013 vehicle sales in the United States, although overall sales of the Wolfsburg-based automaker declined.

On Friday, VW announced U.S. sales figures for 2013, which totaled 407, 704 vehicles, a year-over-year decrease of 6.9%. Volkswagen had sold 438,133 cars in 2012, which was in turn a 35% year-over-year increase. 2013 marks the first time in 40 years that the company had sold over 400,000 cars in two consecutive years....

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VW needs to get it's message changed. Warranty needs to be more competitive, ads need to focus on Diesels, dealer ships need to improve service quality. They need to get US TEAM IN management that actuallly has the power to influence decisions. Most Euro Co's can't stand the thought. That's a good starting point. It's disgraceful that they had these kinds of sales numbers when of most other Co's did great in 2013. In the US the CEO would be looking for a new job.

VW had some problems. The base gas motor(2.5L, you can't find the 2 slow) was being stomped by the competition in mpg. In diesel the problems with the hpfp are being noticed by the public at large and the intercooler problems by people in the northern states (and provinces). The new redesigned models coming out over the coming year might fix those problems…or have entirely new problems. Add into that a persistently higher fuel price difference that cuts into the cost per mile though not entirely eliminating it and it's a tough row to hoe.

Statistics.
Come on, don't be fooled by simple numbers.

This isn't saying their numbers were bad. It's saying they were lower than 2012. In 2012 they had tremendous numbers, with a big push that included bargain basement pricing on the base Jetta. So they backed off their pricing in 2013, their sales went down a little and they still sold a lot of cars.
Jumping up by 35% one year, and then the next year having a statistically insignificant decrease (less than 10%) basically means they held almost all of their gains from 2012.
Let's not make it out like they're crumbling.

Wow, I find it hard to believe overall sales are down, with as many new Jettas and Passats I see both on the road, and on car haulers' trailers.

Canada has always had a large number of TDIs. I can easily see 2/3 of the VWs here are TDI.

I'd love to have a TDI 4Motion here, and the Touareg doesn't count. lol.

Polo TDI and TDI Minivan would increase sales. How about selling TDIs in S trim?

In Canada, the TDI is now available in the Trendline+ trim level (one step above Trendline, which is 2.slow only, no air conditioning, no cruise control - few people will buy these). $22,490 MSRP. That should help.

The 2.slow seems more widely available ... obviously it's only for people shopping for a cheap car, but that it is. Cheapest Trendline+ (with a/c and cruise) with 2.slow is $17,190 and they'll sell a decent number of these ... I know someone who just bought one.

The 2.5 is history, replaced with 1.8 TSI, which has better consumption ratings. Only available on Comfortline and above ... $22,290.

The 1.8 TSI is substantially more fuel-efficient ... 5.6 L/100 km highway vs 6.7 for the 2.slow; 8.2 L/100 km city vs 9.3 for the 2.slow. For comparison, TDI is rated 4.7 highway 6.7 city.

TDI available in next lower trim level and 1.8 TSI replacing 2.5, and cheaper models in next-higher trim on account of using the 2.slow should all help.

It also looks like the old axle rear suspension with drum brakes has been banished completely!

GoFaster said:

It also looks like the old axle rear suspension with drum brakes has been banished completely!

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Thank goodness. I could never understand the step back here.

Keep in mind that in Canada the 2.0 TDI carries a $5k premium over the 2.slow, given an identical trim level. But hey, the 2.0 TDI is a lot faster than the 2.slow though!

The new 1.8T gasoline Jetta (Jetta TSI in Canada) does have an HPFP though, as it is a GDI turbo engine. Reliability is still unknown.

NB_TDi said:

Thank goodness. I could never understand the step back here.

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$$$. Nothing but dollars. It was cheaper to provide rear drums, until public expectations and (more importantly) the competition made VW realize they were leaving more money on the table than they were saving. If that hadn't happened, we'd still have drums.

VW basically has two cars here in NA, the Jetta and the Passat. Golf, Tiquan, and Touareg sales are insignificant. The Beetle is a niche car. They need a popularly sized and priced SUV with good FE, a 3-row SUV, a van, and maybe a truck. And sliding a smaller car in under the Golf wouldn't be a bad idea.

The Jetta sedan and Passat are similar enough that sometimes I have trouble telling them apart on the road, and I spend a fair amount of time looking at VWs. Pricing and service matters, but product matters more. And VW has a product problem.

When I drove my MK4 wagon I was constantly looking @ other MK4's to see if they were a TDI, was rare when I finally saw one.

Seems like almost every MK5 & MK6 Jetta / JSW / Golf / Passat is a TDI! It sure seems to be more than 23% !

The Diesel sedan in the US gets more mainstream by the day. A few years ago people would look at me like I had two heads pumping diesel into a car.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

VW basically has two cars here in NA, the Jetta and the Passat. Golf, Tiquan, and Touareg sales are insignificant. The Beetle is a niche car. They need a popularly sized and priced SUV with good FE, a 3-row SUV, a van, and maybe a truck. And sliding a smaller car in under the Golf wouldn't be a bad idea.

The Jetta sedan and Passat are similar enough that sometimes I have trouble telling them apart on the road, and I spend a fair amount of time looking at VWs. Pricing and service matters, but product matters more. And VW has a product problem.

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The Tiguan is a fair size. The rear hatch space leaves much to the imagination, but the rear passenger room is amazing. With the sliding rear seats, I was blown away.

VW needs a Mini-Van. NOT the Routan, that was horrid. We need a real MPV from VW in NA.

I think the Tiguan and the Touareg complement each other well. The Tiguan needs some more features to appeal to more people though. It's missing some of the higher-end "Off-Road" features that the Touareg offers. I'd compare the LR2 and the LR3(4). If you ever sat in a LR4 it has more bells and whistles than a jetliner. The LR2 has a lot less, but still has some of the key features from the bigger model.

The biggest issue in NA for VW is they don't offer all the features we want. I want 2.0TDI in 4Motion/Quattro. That's it damn it!

gulfcoastguy said:

VW had some problems. The base gas motor(2.5L, you can't find the 2 slow) was being stomped by the competition in mpg. In diesel the problems with the hpfp are being noticed by the public at large and the intercooler problems by people in the northern states (and provinces). The new redesigned models coming out over the coming year might fix those problems***8230;or have entirely new problems. Add into that a persistently higher fuel price difference that cuts into the cost per mile though not entirely eliminating it and it's a tough row to hoe.

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The hpfp fiasco, when it is permanently solved, can be mitigated by giving every hpfp victim an additional goodwill $8000 discount towards the purchase of a new VW.

Diesel fuel price differential is out of everyone's control. Perhaps if Washington reduced diesel taxes we could see more fairness in the price, which shouldn't be above the price of regular gasoline.

showdown 42 said:

VW needs to get it's message changed. Warranty needs to be more competitive, ads need to focus on Diesels, dealer ships need to improve service quality. They need to get US TEAM IN management that actuallly has the power to influence decisions. Most Euro Co's can't stand the thought. That's a good starting point. It's disgraceful that they had these kinds of sales numbers when of most other Co's did great in 2013. In the US the CEO would be looking for a new job.

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VAG happens to be Europe's largest car maker, so it is logical that they treat the USA like they do other markets. IF the US market dips below 400,000 units, perhaps VAG will re-structure VWoA to operate like BMW and MB.