Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VWoA) on Friday reported 31,456 units delivered in February, a 2.9 percent increase over prior year sales and the best February since 1973.
"February's sales results and 30 consecutive months of growth reflects increasing consumer interest in our products," said Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. “With a full range of fuel-efficient vehicles, seven of which deliver more than 40 mpg on the highway and the best start to a year in 29 years, we anticipate continued strong demand for our vehicles into the spring selling season.”
Jetta sedan, the volume leader for Volkswagen, delivered 10,398 units. Jetta SportWagen closed the month with 1,570 units, up 37.2 percent versus the prior year. The Jetta TDI SportWagen was recently named the 2103 Best Overall Value of the Year in the Compact Crossover/Wagon Class by IntelliChoice.
The Chattanooga-built Passat continued to deliver strong results with 7,532 units sold and 29.6 percent of those were diesel.
The Beetle and Beetle Convertible delivered a combined 2,991 and 705 units, respectively, for the month. Volkswagen recently unveiled the Beetle GSR at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show. The GSR (Gelb Schwarzer Renner or “Yellow Black Racer”), will go on sale this fall and will include an upgraded version of the award-winning EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder TSI® engine that generates 210 horsepower. With this new model, Volkswagen has re-interpreted the 1970s GSR for the modern era. Volkswagen recently announced plans to produce the next generation EA888 engines in a brand-new, $550 million engine plant in Silao, Mexico.
Volkswagen also announced at the Chicago Auto Show that it will offer two limited-edition GTI models—the GTI Wolfsburg Edition and GTI Driver’s Edition. Both editions will be offered in limited quantities for the final model year of the sixth-generation hot-hatch. The first to go on sale is the GTI Wolfsburg Edition, which will arrive in dealerships in March, with a starting price of $25,095. The Driver’s Edition will arrive the second quarter of 2013, with a starting price of $29,695.
The Golf saw a 44.1 percent increase in February with 1,720 units delivered. As previously announced, the next generation “A7” Golf will be produced at the company’s manufacturing plant in Puebla, Mexico beginning in the first half of 2014.This latest move reinforces the Volkswagen’s commitment to the North American market, where it will invest more than $5 billion over the next three years.
Volkswagen’s high-mileage, clean diesel TDI models accounted for 22.4.percent of sales in February, a 10.9 percent increase over the prior year.