Volkswagen of America Sales Increase 39.6 Percent in October

HERNDON, Va., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VWoA) today reported 28,028 units sold in October 2011, a 39.6 percent increase over prior year sales.  Year-to-date sales are up 23.8 percent.

"As the all-new Passat and Beetle start to enter the market place, demand for Volkswagen vehicles has already exceeded last year's annual volume in the first 10 months of the year, " said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.  "With the right products in the heart of key segments, and now the most Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICKS in the industry, our momentum continues as customers are increasingly recognizing and embracing the quality and value of our vehicles."

The Routan is the latest Volkswagen to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK rating for 2011, the highest possible from the non-profit safety research organization. This means that Volkswagen now has no fewer than nine TOP SAFETY PICKS, giving the brand leadership in the U.S. industry. The other 2011 Volkswagen models to receive the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK rating are: the Chattanooga-built Passat, CC 2.0L TSI®, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Tiguan, Touareg, and four-door Golf and GTI models.

The all-new, 2012 Volkswagen Passat sold 5,040 units for the month of October, its first full-month of sales for the Chattanooga-built vehicle and the most Passats sold since December 2005.  The 2012 Beetle, sold 1,516 units as production starts to ramp up.  Volkswagen Jetta sales (including Sport Wagen) totaled 13,058 units, a 9.2 percent increase over last year.  GTI sales increased 32.8 percent while Golf sales rose 34.3 percent versus last year.  Sport utility vehicles Touareg and Tiguan experienced 204.6 percent and 18.4 percent sales increases, respectively.  Volkswagen's high-mileage, clean diesel TDI models accounted for 20.5 percent of all October sales and up 37 percent year-over-year.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Beetle, Eos, Golf, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2012 Volkswagen models come standard-equipped with Electronic Stability Control. This is important because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn more.

SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.