Volkswagen Sales Slump Boosts American Brands

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI (Credit: Volkswagen )

Dieselgate has taken a big toll on Volkswagen in the US market, with the situation getting worse all the time. American automakers seem to be the ones that are benefitting most as buyers turn from VW, not other European brands.

Chevrolets are especially hot right now, with them selling faster on average than VWs, Hondas and even Toyotas. That’s interesting, considering GM is entering a phase of more bad press with the ignition switch scandal, so that good luck might or might not run out.

Fords are also quite popular with shoppers as well, also beating out the above-mentioned brands. Autolist polled shoppers in the US and found they actually have a more positive opinion of both American brands versus competitors. The site has also seen an increase in searches for Fords and Chevrolets. The exact opposite is going on with VW.

All Volkswagen models, not just TDIs, are sitting longer before selling. Autolist says that the average non-scandal (gasoline-powered) VWs sit for 106 days before getting snatched up, compared to the industry average of 94 days. TDI models sit even longer at 178 days, on average, as shoppers wonder if buying them is a wise idea.

Of course, with Volkswagens taking longer to sell, the prices are dropping as well. Autolist says TDIs are going for 6.4 percent under the expected price, while the rest are down by 2.4 percent.