VW Is The Biggest Automaker In The World; What Next?

Volkswagen badge (Credit: Volkswagen)

Plenty of people though the Dieselgate scandal would at the very least seriously weaken Volkswagen. But it’s back on top as the biggest automaker in the world, knocking Toyota off that lofty perch. From January through June of this year, VW sold 5.12 million cars, versus a paltry 4.99 million sold by Toyota.

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This latest news is a bit of revenge mixed with redemption. Toyota actually swiped the top spot from VW last year once the Dieselgate scandal broke out. Now, the Germans are seeing a 1.5 percent uptick in sales, while Toyota is reporting a 0.6 percent downturn.

How exactly could such a huge controversy hurt Volkswagen so little? It’s simple: the US market might be big for global auto sales, but it was one of the smaller ones for VW as a brand. Even though Americans stopped buying Golfs, Jettas and Tiguans in a big way, it had little impact on the company. Volkswagen sales in China and Europe have been surging.

The good news for Volkswagen keeps rolling, with the brand landing in the top non-premium brand spot for the J.D. Power 2016 APEAL Study. Last week, a preliminary approval of the settlement agreement for 2.0-liter TDIs was approved by a US federal judge. So things aren’t so bad for VW after all, and it might be seeing a super-quick recovery from Dieselgate.