The Volkswagen brand has remained strong in Europe and Germany these last 25 years
- The Volkswagen brand has not lost any ground over the past 25 years, either in its country of origin, Germany, or in the rest of Europe (29 countries), unlike Opel and Fiat in their home country. Volkswagen sales in Germany have always oscillated between 600,000 and 700,000 cars per year between 1995 and 2019, and the carmaker's market share has always remained at 18%-22% during this period. In 1997, Volkswagen sold 630,000 cars in its home country, representing 18% of the German market which then reached 3.5 million passenger cars. In 2022, Volkswagen sold 480,000 cars in Germany, but as the German market declined as a whole (2.7 million units), the carmaker's market share remained stable compared to 1997, at 18%. This performance has nothing to do with what happened at Opel, whose market share in Germany fell from 16% to 5% between 1997 and 2022, or Fiat, whose market share in Italy fell from 34% to 13% between 1997 and 2022.
- The Volkswagen brand has remained strong in Europe and Germany thanks to several factors: Volkswagen benefits from a wide range (Up, Polo, Golf, Passat, Arteon) and several SUVs (T-Cross, Taigo, T-Roc, Tiguan, Touareg) which are added to the range of sedans.
- The image of the brand has overshadowed mainstream brands well established in Germany such as Ford and Opel.
- Interestingly, the “dieselgate” in 2015 did not had a serious impact on Volkswagen’s sales volume. We just observed a drop in the brand's market share in Germany from 21.5% in 2015 to 19.5% in 2016 and 18.5% in 2017, then this market share steadied at 18%.