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US car sales up, not so VW's

May 3, 2016

Car sales in the US are on track to shatter last year's record of 17.5 million units shifted to customers. But German carmaker VW continues to feel the impact of its scandal over its emissions-cheating software.

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VW car
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Nelson

US auto sales left behind a lackluster start to the year in April, posting a strong performance that could signal a record-shattering 2016.

Solid job growth, low gasoline prices and easy credit lured shoppers to showrooms as spring weather got underway. Fuel-guzzling pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles remained hot customer picks in April, fresh data revealed Tuesday.

"Market conditions remain positive as the longest expansion in US auto sales in the post-World War II era continues," TrueCar's Eric Lyman said in a statement.

VW opens up about impact of scandal

Market punishment

Among the biggest gainers were Ford Motor, which logged a 4-percent increase from April 2015, and Italian-owned Fiat Chrysler, reporting a 6-percent surge in sales in April.

But Volkswagen continued to suffer in the US market as it kept being mired in its global diesel-engine pollution scandal.

The embattled German VW brand saw a drop of 9.7 percent in US sales. For the year to date, its sales were down 11.7 percent.

VW's sister company, Audi, had a better month, selling 17,801 units in the US, marking a 5.8-percent increase from the same month a year ago.

hg/cjc (AFP, dpa)