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VW Sales Up 20 Percent At Mid-Year July 18, 2006 Volkswagen Of America's sales were up 20 percent for the first half of 2006. The automaker sold 116,045 vehicles, compared to 96,704 in the same period last year. Leading the way were the Passat sedan (up a whopping 84 percent), hatch models (including the GTI and new Rabbit, up a very healthy 63.8 percent), Jetta sedan (up 28.3 percent) and even the New Beetle coupe (up 30.8 percent). Two vehicles that certainly did not help sales were the Phaeton (down 58.8 percent) and Touareg (down 35.3 percent). The Phaeton's performance was understandable as it heads for extinction in North America. The Touareg has no excuse, other than it is what it is — a pricey luxury SUV that enjoys chugging pricey fuel. June marked the first month for sales of the Rabbit — 831 hopped into motorist's driveways, a number that is sure to increase over the coming months as dealerships get better stocked with the entry-level VW. The Rabbit represents an excellent value, loaded with standard features for the low price of just $15,620 (including destination fee). Another model sure to ignite sales — and also general interest in the brand — is the Eos hard-top convertible, which hits showrooms in the next two months. North of the border, in Canada, Volkswagen sold 10.3 percent more cars in the first half of 2006, 15,438 versus 13,993 in 2005. First-month Rabbit sales were a decent 507.
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