Volkswagen car sales in Germany 2008-2018

Volkswagen sold 643,518 cars in Germany in 2018. This was a slight increase compared to the previous year, but still far removed from the peak recorded in 2009. Said peak is likely connected to the Government's introduction of the so-called "Abwrackprämie" - a scrappage program intended to encourage car owners to scrap their old motor vehicle and buy a new, supposedly more environmentally friendly model. A survey at the time found that Volkswagen had profited the most from this program.

Volkswagen‘s worldwide sales

The German car maker sold roughly 10.9 million vehicles worldwide in 2019. This was the third year in a row that figures increased. In the period of consideration, 2015 was the only year sales decreased, due to the fallout following “Dieselgate.”

Dieselgate

In 2015, Volkswagen was caught deliberately cheating in emissions tests. Software designed to lower emissions levels in testing conditions were fitted to new diesel vehicles in order to meet respective air quality standards. Despite not being the only automotive manufacturer exposed for such practices, as the first name connected with the scandal, Volkswagen became synonymous with “Dieselgate”. As of April 5, 2019, the European Commission has come to the preliminary conclusion that German carmakers Volkswagen, BMW and the Daimler AG had breached EU antitrust rules by colluding to mitigate competition on emissions technology.