First, the news. VAG sold 5.73 million vehicles last year, solidifying its position as the world's number four automaker. Second, a bit of analysis. A guy named Erich Merkle is claiming that VeeDub's sales were temporarily boosted this year because of new model drops like the Jetta and Passat. He says, "I don't know if it is really sustainable." Jalopnik says, "The Jetta is unbuttered white toast on wheels, but that R36 Passat is indeed the hotness." Most remarkable though, once puny Audi managed to sell 950,000 vehicles last year, which is a truly staggering number for (yet another) German luxury make. That is until you realize that a lot of those sales were crap 1.9L diesel 3-door A3s, which are nothing more than Golfs. We mean Rabbits. We mean Porsche's scheme to spin Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti off into their own uber-luxo group isn't such an indefensible, PAG-like idea. We mean congratulations guys! Way to be precise and cast a wide-ass net. – Jonny Lieberman

Volkswagen 2006 sales hit record 5.73 million [Automotive News Europe]

Related:
BREAKING: The World is Not Even Kinda Sorta Enough: Porsche Contemplates Buying Primo VAG; More: It's a Major Award! Automobile Names GTI Automobile of the Year [Internal]

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