Volkswagen Reports 31.5 Percent Increase In April U.S. Sales

- Best April since 1971 marking the seventh month in a row in excess of 30 percent sales gains -

- Passat sales exceed 10,000 units for second record month in a row, with 10,096 sold -

- April sales total 37,525 units a 38 percent increase year-to-date

- Passat, the 2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year, sold 10,096 units, its best month ever

- Best April Beetle sales since 2003

- Best April sales ever for GTI

- Jetta Sedan achieved sales of 13,754 units

- High-mileage, clean diesel TDI models account for 21.3 percent of sales in April, up 35.2 percent versus the prior year

HERNDON, VA--May 1, 2012: Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VWoA) today reported 37,525 units sold in April, a 31.5 percent increase over prior year sales, 38 percent increase year-to-date and the best April since 1971.

"The demand and enthusiasm for our products continues at a strong pace and we are beginning to see the fruits of our investments pay off, marking the best April in over forty years," said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. "As our sales continue to outpace the industry, we are investing in our infrastructure to ensure sustained growth."

Last month, the company announced expansion plans for VW Credit Inc. (VCI) facility in Libertyville, IL. The ground breaking took place on April 20 for a 30,000-square-foot expansion of the facility. The multimillion-dollar expansion, to be completed early next year, will accommodate approximately 150 new jobs that VW Credit, Inc. expects to create through 2018. This comes on top of the additional 1,000 jobs that the company announced it would add at its manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, TN to meet growing demand of the 2012 Passat.

Jetta sedan, including the enthusiast GLI model, remains the volume leader for Volkswagen with sales totaling 13,754, while Jetta SportWagen totaled 1,904.

Sales of the Chattanooga-built Passat continue to rise with record sales of 10,096 units in April, the second month breaking 10,000 units.

The 2012 Beetle, recently named to Ward's list of "10 Best Interiors," sold 2,065 units. The Beetle TDI Clean Diesel Coupe will go on sale late summer 2012. The Tiguan continued to see strong sales with 2,333 units sold and the Golf saw a 14.6 percent increase in sales with a total of 3,876 units sold.