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Post by VWCA_Adman on Jun 8, 2016 11:19:30 GMT -6
2016 VW Passat Wins Cars.com’s Midsize Sedan ChallengeVW’s American-built sedan’s makeover inspired Cars.com’s editor Patrick Olsen. “Our judges and our family,” he says, “loved the responsiveness of the Passat. The vehicle’s totally updated infotainment options, comfortable seats and refined interior, pushed it to the top of the heap.” See www.cars.com/news for details. Carsickness: May Car Sales Down 16 Percent: Trucks Up 2.4Automotive News says there’s a “sedan recession.” During May 2016 the 15 largest automakers all posted lower car sales than a year ago. VW’s May 2016 car sales were down 22 percent (24,025 vs. 30,979). In contrast, its truck sales were up 10 percent due to the Tiguan’s sales surge (4,394 vs. 3,079). VW’s vehicle sales were down 17.2 percent (28,779 vs. 34,758). For the first five months, VW Passat sales are down nearly 10,000 units at 26,821; the Jetta is off more than 6,000 at 49,662. Audi fared better. Its cars sales were down 13.4 percent, truck sales up 23.7 percent for a total of 18,728 units—a 1.6 percent increase. Meanwhile, the VW Group’s worldwide profit rose 3.4 percent in the first quarter of 2016—the VW brand, however, skidded 86 percent. Operating profit: $3.83 billion. VW Still Uses Takata Airbags; Audi Recalls More CarsJune 2016: Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla) reports that VW continues to use Takata airbag inflators without desiccant in its CC, Audi TT and Audi R8. All of Takata’s non-desiccated inflators must be recalled by 2019. Meanwhile, Audi expanded its airbag recall by 217,000 cars. Affected vehicles: 2004-08 A4 and 2005-11 A6.
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