VW has officially beat Toyota to the top spot in global vehicle deliveries despite pressure of the Dieselgate scandal.
VW has pulled ahead of Toyota during the first quarter despite the looming issues surrounding VW’s Dieselgate scandal, Toyota announced today in a press release. The reason for Toyota’s drop in deliveries comes after production stoppages have hindered Toyota’s production in Japan.
Toyota’s worldwide sales fell 2.3 percent to 2.46 million vehicles in the January-to-March period. During that same period, VW reported sales of 2.5 million vehicles, an increase of 0.8 percent.
“This has impacted multiple parts, models and plants,” Hiroji Onishi, a Toyota senior managing officer, told reporters Sunday in Beijing, ahead of China’s biggest auto show. “All effort is being made now to grasp the current situation and build the recovery plan.”
According to Toyota, they plan to lose out on at least another 80,000 vehicles due to shutdowns stemming from devastating earthquakes that have struck the region. The quakes are said to be the worst since March 2011.
We will keep you updated on delivery numbers once we reach the end of the Q2.
