In the wake of the emissions scandal that hit Volkswagen Group, the company reported today that U.S. sales of its namesake brand rose less than 1 percent in September.
But, the company's Audi unit reported U.S. sales rose 16.2 percent in September.
For the VW brand, September sales were 26,141 units, a 0.56 percent increase over a year ago, according to the company.
Sales of the Chattanooga-made Passat fell less than 1 percent to 7,228 in the month, the company reported.
The Golf family of vehicles delivered 5,251 units, up 50.6 percent over the previous September
Tiguan sales of 2,972 units showed a 77.5 percent increase, marking the best September on record.
VW brand sales results reflect a mid-month stop-sale for all 2.0L 4-cylinder TDI vehicles due to an investigation by EPA into emissions compliance.
"We would like to thank dealers and customers for the support of the Volkswagen brand," said Mark McNabb, chief operating officer for Volkswagen of America, in a statment. "Volkswagen will continue to work diligently to regain trust and confidence in our brand."
Audi's September results were bolstered by sales of luxury SUVs, with a 44.3 percent increase for the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 models combined, the company said.
Audi reported September sales rose to 17,340 vehicles, a 57th straight month of record U.S. sales.
See more in Friday's Times Free Press.