Volkswagen still Europe's top seller, even as sales drop

Volkswagen sold more vehicles than anyone else in Europe last month, but the company's claim to the top spot could be coming to an end as the emissions scandal rolls on.

The German automaker saw its sales volume slip by 0.8 per cent in October, new numbers showed Tuesday, and now makes up 25.2 per cent of all cars sold on the continent. Before the scandal broke, that figure stood at 26.1 per cent.

Not all VW brands fared the same way, however:

• Seat sales declined 11.2 per cent
• Skoda sales declined 2.9 per cent
• Volkswagen lost 0.4 per cent
• Audi gained 3.5 per cent
• Porsche gained 13.3 per cent

Analysts say the full impact of Volkswagen's problems won't be felt for several months, as sales numbers are several weeks behind. The scandal broke on Sept. 18, a month during which the company saw its sales increase by eight per cent.

Volkswagen managed to maintain its hold on the top spot, but the company's declining fortunes came against a backdrop of higher car sales across the continent.

Across all brands, 1.14 million vehicles were sold in Europe in October, the Belgium-based Association of European Carmakers said Tuesday. That's an increase of 2.7 per cent from September's level and the 26th consecutive month of expansion.

Most of the gain was driven by strong numbers from two companies: German luxury carmakers BMW and Daimler posted double-digit increases, up 13 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. Daimler got a big boost from its Smart car line, which saw sales rise more than 200 per cent to more than 8,800 units.

Fiat Chrysler saw an eight per cent upswing in sales, led by the Fiat Panda and the 500 compact car along with the Jeep brand.

Smaller French rivals PSA Peugeot Citroen saw sales fall 0.9 per cent, while Renault sank 0.7 per cent.