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VW sales up in May though Atlas hit

Employees at the Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga celebrate production of the 700,000th VW Passat to be made since production began of the U.S. version of the vehicle in 2011. Employees at the Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga celebrate production of the 700,000th VW Passat to be made since production began of the U.S. version of the vehicle in 2011.

By Mike Pare June 1, 2018 3 min read

ATLAS SALES – 2018

* January: 4,303* February: 4,766* March: 6,063* April: 5,404* May: 3,923Source: Volkswagen of America

Volkswagen of America posted a 4 percent gain in May sales compared to a year ago, even though the Chattanooga-made Atlas SUV had its worst month of the year amid a supply-chain issue.

Atlas sales of 3,923 in May were off from 5,404 units in April, according to the German automaker.

VW’s Chattanooga plant had been dealing with a problem sourcing a front grille due to a fire at a supplier and temporarily parked Atlas vehicles until the part arrived from another company.

“Supply chain issues did end up being a factor for sales of the Atlas last month,” said company spokesman Brendan Bradley.