Crime (Finally) Does Not Pay For Volkswagen As Nissan Takes Second Place Globally
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Dieselgate really hit Volkswagen at the wrong time. It had finally beat Toyota to become the largest automaker in the world in late 2015 and then it came out that the German automaker had created a default device to cheat on emissions tests. Toyota regained its crown, but VW stayed comfortably at the number two spot until last month when the Renault-Nissan Alliance shoved it aside.
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To be clear, this big win for Nissan is not based on sales data but on manufacturing data instead. This number has proven to be more accurate, as occasionally sales data has been padded or manufacturers have self-registered vehicles to inflate numbers.
According to the data compiled by Forbes, from January to April of 2017 the Renault-Nissan Alliance built 3,471,808 vehicles, compared to 3,526,343 from Toyota. This means that the Alliance not only moved into global second place, but it is poised to possibly take the lead from Toyota before the end of the year. We still have year-end sales and new manufacturing for the upcoming model year left to bolster manufacturing data for 2017. Regardless of what’s ahead, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has seen a 7.4% increase in manufacturing year-over-year, compared to Toyota’s 7.8%.
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Regardless of the irregularities of registration data to gauge vehicle sales, the team at Forbes expects a new Global Top Ten list based on registrations in the coming days, which is expected to reflect the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s growing dominance in the automotive world. Perhaps this change in the pecking order is a sign that consumers are finally holding Volkswagen accountable for its unsavory business practices.
News Source: Forbes
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