VW’s new midsize SUV concept, called the Crossblue, was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2013.View our Volkswagen/UAW special page with timeline, slideshow, local and national coverage and opinions
HAMILTON COUNTY SALESHamilton County new vehicle registrations rose in May over a year ago, though are off from pre-recession levels:• 2014 – 1,075• 2013 – 1,037• 2012 – 1,069• 2011 – 962• 2010 – 834• 2009 – 578• 2008 – 1,373• 2007 – 1,314• 2006 – 1,242• 2005 – 1,333Source: Hamilton County Clerk’s Office
An auto worker inspects finished SUVs coming off the assembly line at the General Motors auto plant in Arlington, Texas.
May U.S. car sales chart.Sales for automakers with Tennessee assembly plants careened ahead in May, except for Volkswagen where its results slid even as the overall U.S. car market posted its best monthly total in nine years.
VW’s limited offerings of sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks continue to hurt the company’s namesake brand, though sister luxury nameplates Audi and Porsche reported their best May ever, the German car company said Tuesday.
The VW brand’s May sales were off 15.4 percent from a year ago, as it had declines in its core Passat, Jetta and Golf vehicles. Chattanooga-made Passat sales fell 12.8 percent in May over the same month in 2013.