cars news 10: Diesels Accounted for 12 Percent of Volkswagen’s U.S. Sales in April

Customers in the U.S. are still clamoring for Volkswagen diesels despite all the controversy surrounding deceptive emissions practices. Diesels accounted for nearly 12 percent of VW’s U.S. sales for the month of April, a sizeable chunk considering the automaker just started selling these vehicles again for the first time since September 2015.

VW returned to selling new 2015 diesel vehicles in mid-April, VW has confirmed. Recently, the EPA cleared Volkswagen Group to sell these cars in the U.S. after an approved software update. More diesel fixes are expected to be approved in the coming weeks, reports Reuters, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

In April, VW sold 3,196 diesel cars in the U.S., representing almost 12 percent of the brand’s sales totaling 27,557. While impressive, it’s nowhere near the 25-percent share that diesels commanded before the scandal hit.

As part of its plan to make things right, VW has bought back nearly 238,000 diesel vehicles from customers. However, it has not started reselling these vehicles, focusing only on new 2015 models.

Although consumers are clearly still interested in VW diesels, the automaker says it has no plans to make new diesel models for the U.S. Instead, it’s turning its efforts to electric vehicles. Volkswagen Group wants to sell 2-3 million electric cars per year across the globe by 2025, and North America is expected to be a key part of that goal.

Source: Reuters