VW’s New Direction; May Sales Rose 14%

VW debuts a new direction. It kicks off a mea culpa, an apology for diesel scandal in “Hello Light” TV spot airing during the NBA Finals. This ad begins with a dark screen and audio clips from newscasts mentioning VW’s emissions skirting. Then, we hear a music bed: Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence.” It plays while we witness a tired, contemplative pencil twirling man initiate a spark—the creation of VW’s I.D. Buzz bus-like EV. The spot, by Johannes Leonardo agency, ends with white words on the screen saying “In the darkness, we found light…Introducing a new era of electric driving.”

Europeans can preorder VW’s Golf-like ID.3 EV. VWoA’s chief claims a new VW EV arrives late next year.


VW’s May 2019 sales climbed 14% (35,702) vs. last year. VW’s Tiguan leads the pack (10,687; +25%), followed by the Jetta (9,653; +42%) and the Atlas (8,273; +111%). It sold 245 newly available Arteons. Passat sales slid 73% to 1,294.

SUVs comprised 53% of VW’s U.S. sales.


Audi posted another monthly sales dip. It sold 18,822 units in the U.S. last month. One reason for the slump is its Q3 crossover. Its sales were down 99% to only 11 because the newly developed Q3 isn’t available in the States.