Volkswagen car sales in Germany 2008-2023
Volkswagen sold around 519,100 cars in Germany in 2023. This was an increase compared to 2022, but still far removed from the peak recorded in 2009 and from its pre-pandemic sales volume. Said peak is likely connected to the Government's introduction of the so-called "Abwrackprämie" - a scrappage program intended to encourage car owners to scrap their old motor vehicle and buy a new, supposedly more environmentally friendly model. A survey at the time found that Volkswagen had profited the most from this program.
Volkswagen‘s worldwide sales
The German car maker sold roughly 9.24 million vehicles worldwide in 2023. Volkwagen's global sales slumped lower than volumes recorded during "Dieselgate" in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the steepest drop in sales recorded by the brand, which had been steadily increasing its deliveries between 2016 and 2019. Amid the global semiconductor shortage and rise in raw material prices, the company's deliveries kept dropping through 2022. Despite the growth recorded in 2023, this global sales volume was still to reach pre-pandemic levels.
Dieselgate
In 2015, Volkswagen was caught deliberately cheating in emissions tests. Software designed to lower emissions levels in testing conditions were fitted to new diesel vehicles in order to meet respective air quality standards. Despite not being the only automotive manufacturer exposed for such practices, as the first name connected with the scandal, Volkswagen became synonymous with “Dieselgate”. As of April 5, 2019, the European Commission has come to the preliminary conclusion that German carmakers Volkswagen, BMW and the Daimler AG had breached EU antitrust rules by colluding to mitigate competition on emissions technology.
