New VW Passat makes a fine start at rebuilding its reputation

I am pretty certain that the emission cheating scandal which has engulfed Volkswagenland for much of the past six months will have a damning long-term effect on the giant German automotive conglomerate, but it would appear the loyalty to the company here in Ireland is largely untarnished.

Although there has been a big sales dip for the VW brand in America and China, here in our neck of the woods there has barely been a blip in VW’s fortunes and the company’s Irish arm ended up 2015 as the leading manufacturer, with a market share of over 12% and cumulative sales well over 15,000 units, resulting, you’d have to think, in heavy sighs of relief at their Dublin HQ.

But, aside from the naked sales stats, an even more astonishing fact emerged just last week when a survey revealed that 78% of Volkswagen owners said the emission outrage would not prevent them buying another of the company’s products, and nearly 54% of non-Volkswagen owners said the scandal would not put them off buying a VW.