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VW sales up despite diesel emissions scandal

It seems consumers are actually not that bothered or possibly oblivious to VW’s recent emissions scandal as sales figures have actually gone up.

The number of VW sales in September had actually increased by four per cent, according to a report generated by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), while Audi sales were up 11 per cent, contributing to an overall rise of 8.6 per cent.

Even in the US, where the software used to cheat on emissions so they could be up to fourty times higher than permitted, VW recorded similar sales to the same period in 2014, taking home a sales total of 26,141 units, 5,251 of which were the Golf. Audi saw an increase of 16.2 per cent in the US, thanks in part to the popularity of crossover models.

The smarter among you may point out the fact the sales could have gone up even further were it not for the scandal and let’s not forget the total bill has been estimated as high as US$55 billion (£35.84 billion) so we doubt the champagne will be out at the VW headquarters.

The lack of a change (so far) could be representative of the fact the fact diesels are 21 per cent cleaner than they have ever been, as pointed out in a separate SMMT report.

There’s also the fact the scandal broke on the 18th of September so October 2015 figures will reveal the true sales and brand damage VW has suffered beyond the share value drop of a third.

Current estimates say 1.2 million diesel vehicles in the UK are involved, including 131,569 Skodas, 393,450 Audis, 76,773 Seats and 79,838 VW commercial vehicles.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) will be re-running tests on various diesel cars in UK but there have been calls for an independent body to take over after it came to light the test body receives 69.91 per cent of its income from the companies it is investigating.

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