Volkswagen of America today reported that March sales fell 10.36 percent from a year ago as the company continues to deal with the diesel-emission scandal.
Sales of the Chattanooga-made Passat dropped 21.8 percent last month compared to March 2015, according to the German automaker.
Total VW sales in the U.S. last month were 26,914, buoyed by the Tiguan sport utility vehicle which produced its best March ever with 3,519 vehicles delivered. That’s a 53 percent increase over a year ago.
“We are pleased with the continued strong performance of the Tiguan,” said Mark McNabb, chief operating officer of Volkswagen of America, in a statement. “While overall sales saw a decline for the month, Volkswagen dealers improved in terms of retail business.”
In March, Volkswagen debuted the next member of the Golf family with the U.S. version of the all-wheel-drive Alltrack, which goes on sale in the fall as a 2017 model.
See more in Saturday’s Times Free Press.