VW 2016 sales set record; may be No. 1 worldwide

January 10, 2017 at 11:25 a.m. | Updated January 11, 2017 at 5:33 a.m.

by Mike Pare

Staff photo by Doug Strickland / Antoinette Dupree looks at the new Volkswagen Atlas SUV during a December job fair with staffing contractor Aerotek held at the VW plant. The factory is slated to be up to 3,400 employees by next spring.
Staff photo by Doug Strickland / Antoinette Dupree looks at the new Volkswagen Atlas SUV during a December job fair with staffing contractor Aerotek held at the VW plant. The factory is slated to be up to 3,400 employees by next spring.

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In spite of the diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen's world sales hit a record of 10.3 million vehicles in 2016, the German automaker with a plant in Chattanooga reported today.

"The fact that we handed over more than 10 million vehicles to customers last year bolsters the group and its brands as we head for the future," said VW Group CEO Matthias Mueller in a statement.

The 2016 sales figure should put VW ahead of Japanese rival Toyota as the world's largest car producer by volume, Reuters said.

The group sold over 939,100 new vehicles in North America last year, up less than 1 percent, VW reported. In China, 2016 sales were 4 million, up 12.2 percent.

VW full-year sale worldwide rose 3.8 percent from 9.93 million in 2015, the company said.

Global sales rose nearly 12 percent in December, according to VW.

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