Volkswagen sales in the U.S. rose 11 percent in the fourth quarter to 94,330 thanks to the addition of the Atlas Cross Sport crossover and a five-fold surge in sales of the aging Passat sedan.
For the year, the German mass-market brand's deliveries fell 10 percent to 325,784, despite three nameplates — Golf, Arteon and Passat — that actually gained volume year over year, despite the pandemic. The addition of the derivative two-row Atlas Cross Sport earlier this year meant that total Atlas sales for both models rose 7.2 percent in 2020. Sales of the three-row Atlas finished down 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 28 percent for the year.
Meanwhile, Audi sales fell 4.8 percent in the fourth quarter to 62,517, despite solid double-digit gains from three of its four crossovers. For the year, Audi's U.S. deliveries fell 17 percent to 186,620.
The Q3, Q5 and Q8 crossovers all gained between 11 and 15 percent in the quarter, while sales…