Drivers Found
December 11, 2006
By the end of November 2006, Volkswagen had rolled out 3.094 million vehicles, surpassing its output of 3.088 for all of 2005, reported the carmaker Monday from its headquarters in Wolfsburg.
In November 2006 alone, VW sold 293,000 vehicles, representing an 11.1 percent increase from November 2005.
"There have never been so many sales in just 11 months," said marketing director Michael Kern, who attributed the increase to the company's "offensive product policy," as well as special offers on car insurance and financing.
As market leader in Europe, VW sold 1.504 million vehicles in the region between Jan. and Nov. 2006, a 7.5-percent increase over the same period in 2005. At home in Germany, the sales increase was even greater (9.9 percent), amounting to 628,035 vehicles sold.
Trial set to begin in January
In contrast to the positive sales figures, it was also announced Monday that VW's former personnel director Peter Hartz will face trial in Braunschweig in northwestern Germany on Jan. 17, a good year and a half after the scandal was uncovered.
The 65-year-old is charged with 44 counts of breach of trust in connection with a scandal involving the workers' council.
Total damages reportedly amount to 2.6 million euros ($3.4 million) and Hartz faces a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years. The 12 additional suspects in the case will be prosecuted separately.