Within just three years of operations, Volkswagen Philippines broke through the 1,000-unit sales mark, registering 1,060 units sold from January to December 2016. This is a 76-percent increase over its 2015 sales, and making it the Philippines' number one European car brand in 2016.

Volkswagen Philippines’ overall sales performance was attained during a period when it expanded its dealership network and received 14 awards and citations for its various models and CSR efforts, most notably for its groundbreaking Child Safety Initiative campaign and the Passat’s win in the Car of the Year-Philippines in the Mid-Size Luxury Sedan category. The rest of the product lineup—from the iconic Beetle, large SUV Touareg, compact SUV Tiguan, multi-purpose vehicle Touran, to the Golf and Golf GTI, Polo sedan and hatchback, and Jetta compact sedan— contributed to the overall achievement.

Its dealer network played a major factor in bringing the brand experience closer to customers, making their car purchase decisions easier and accessible.

Apart from the five dealers located in the cities of Taguig, Quezon, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa and Cebu, Volkswagen Philippines added three more outside Metro Manila in 2016: One in San Fernando City in Pampanga, and two in Western Visayas – Iloilo City and Bacolod City.

In 2016, a record-setting 359,572 new vehicles were sold across the country, according to the year-end report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc or CAMPI.

In this light, Volkswagen Philippines, a company under Ayala Corporation’s AC Industrials, envisions much more room for growth in sales for European brands in 2017, as more car buyers become more financially empowered and subsequently look beyond price points to “level up” to the premium segments.

And Volkswagen, built up by generations upon generations of world-class German automotive engineering and design excellence, is seen to be top-of-mind of more Filipino car buyers who have trusted this iconic brand for decades.