VW dealers thought sales were bad before September but the real pain will be felt over the next several months.
Nearly 25% of VW’s sales in the U.S. are vehicles with the TDI engines. Since 2008, approximately 482,000 vehicles in the U.S. (11 million worldwide) have been sold with the software designed to deceive emissions tests. Vehicles affected the 2009 – 2015 Jetta; 2012 – 2015 Beetle; 2012 – 2015 Passat; 2010 – 2015 Golf; 2010 – 2015 Audi A3.
The automaker issued a stop-sale order on all of the affected vehicles sitting on dealer lots — including certified used vehicles. Even 2016 models are affected as the EPA has said it will withhold certification of all vehicles with 2.0 liter TDI engines.
TrueCar estimates Volkswagen will see sales drop 5.2% in September while the rest of the industry gains 13%.