Europe is buying more cars but abandoning Volkswagen branded vehicles
Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) revealed that while registrations of new passenger cars rose by 8.2% between January and March to reach 3.8 million.
Sales rose across every major market in Europe. Britain clocked a 5.1% rise, Italy a 20.8% jump, and Germany a 4.5% increase.
However, when looking at what types of cars are being bought - VW was the only brand in the top ten to experience a fall in sales.
It is perhaps unsurprising considering it is still tackling the fallout from the emissions scandal. Volkswagen's reputation is in tatters are the company cheated on diesel emissions tests in the US for seven years.
It did so through a clever piece of software that could identify when it was being tested and reduce harmful exhaust so it looked as if the cars met requirements, when in fact they didn't.
Cars with the VW brand saw sales slip but 0.5% to 420,000. However, the VW group was saved overall in sales by its , range of other brands without an explicit VW logo on the vehicles.
Overall sales rose 3.7% in the quarter, boosted by Audi and Skoda.
Now, the decline in Volkswagen branded vehicles may not seem a big deal but when you look at this table and how it is failing to cash in on the improvement in Europe's consumer sentiment - You'll see why.
