VW European sales drop due to scandal


              FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2015 file photo a giant logo of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen is pictured on top of a company's factory building in Wolfsburg, Germany.  Volkswagen says it is postponing release of its full-year earnings as well as its annual shareholder meeting due to open questions about its diesel emissions scandal. The company said Friday Feb. 5, 2016  it would give new dates for the earnings release, formerly slated for March 10, and for its shareholder gathering originally set for April 21. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2015 file photo a giant logo of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen is pictured on top of a company's factory building in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen says it is postponing release of its full-year earnings as well as its annual shareholder meeting due to open questions about its diesel emissions scandal. The company said Friday Feb. 5, 2016 it would give new dates for the earnings release, formerly slated for March 10, and for its shareholder gathering originally set for April 21. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)

The marquee Volkswagen brand saw its biggest sales contraction in January since the German carmaker was engulfed in its diesel emissions scandal.

The European carmaker's association ACEA reported on Tuesday that sales of Volkswagen brand cars dropped 3.8 percent compared with a year earlier, putting a drag on deliveries for the group, which also includes the Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda brands. VW group sales grew by just 0.8 percent, seriously lagging a European market that grew 6.2 percent for the 29th straight month of expansion.

ACEA said January sales topping 1 million cars were "encouraging for the near future, as the upward market trend remains stable."

Mass-market automakers Fiat Chrysler, Ford and Opel posted double-digit gains. Premium manufacturers BMW and Daimler grew by 4 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively.

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