Volkswagen AG’s U.S. sales rose 6.3 percent last month, less than rivals’ but better than analysts expected, in a sign of how consumers are reacting to the automaker’s cheating on diesel emissions tests. VW didn’t give results for its diesels, including the 2-liter models that were pulled from lots.
Sales rose 0.6 percent for its namesake brand and 16 percent for the Audi luxury unit, the company said Thursday. Four analysts in a Bloomberg survey had split evenly on whether the combined total would rise or fall, with an average estimate of a 0.8 percent gain, the lowest for any major automaker. For the Volkswagen brand alone, the average of three estimates was for a 6.7 percent slide.
“We would like to thank dealers and customers for the support of the Volkswagen brand,” said Mark McNabb, chief operating officer for Volkswagen of America. “Volkswagen will continue to work diligently to regain trust and confidence in our brand.”