VW PassatVolkswagen of America reported Tuesday that sales of its Chattanooga-made Passat were its best ever in March, and that the company’s marketing efforts for its diesel-powered models is paying off.
Passat sales hit 11,050 in March with 41 percent of those clean-diesel versions. The share of TDI sales is an all-time monthly high for the sedan.
“We’re exciting about our opportunities and the TDI,” said Mark Barnes, VW of America’s vice president of sales.
Still, total VW sales of 36,717 were off for March, down 2.6 percent from a year ago, the automaker reported. Its Golf, Beetle and Tiguan models were down for the month.
For the first quarter, VW sales are 11 percent behind the same period in 2013. Passat sales are off 6.3 percent for the year so far.