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Volkswagen sales plummet following diesel scandal

Volkswagen sales fell by almost 20 per cent last month in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal
Volkswagen sales fell by almost 20 per cent last month in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal Volkswagen sales fell by almost 20 per cent last month in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal

CAR sales at troubled manufacturer Volkswagen fell by almost 20 per cent last month in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal, official figures show.

There were 12,958 VW registrations in the UK last month, compared to 16,196 in November 2015, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Volkswagen's Golf model however does remain popular in Northern Ireland with the fourth highest sales last month.

Overall, the north is the only part of the UK to see a drop in the number of new cars sold this year, with 55,091 registered to date (0.07 per cent down on the same period in 2014).

There was a more marked fall were 3,128 new vehicles registered during the month - down 4.92 per cent on the same month last year.

This 19.99 per cent decrease in VW sales comes after the German manufacturer admitted in September that it fitted sophisticated software to cheat emissions tests for nitrogen oxides in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide, including almost 1.2 million in the UK.

Sales of other VW brands are also down: Seat by 23.83 per cent, Skoda by 10.98 per cent and Audi by 4.41 per cent.

The SMMT said the car industry as a whole saw an increase in registrations of 3.8 per cent, leading motoring experts to conclude that the emissions crisis is hitting VW sales.

Volkswagen has set aside €6.7bn (£4.8bn) to deal with the controversy, and chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned.

The manufacturer accepts the defeat device software was used to rig pollution tests in the US.

The scandal deepened further last month when VW revealed it had found "irregularities" in carbon emissions which may affect 800,000 vehicles.

The Hyundai Tucson was the north's favourite new car last month with 111 sales followed by Ford Kuga (93) and Vauxhall Insignia (91).