We interrupt our self-imposed, server-caused reporting pause for the usual once-a-month ranking of world’s largest automakers. As you can see, it’s messy.
Perennial leader Toyota Group is down 4.5% for the year, mainly because at their Daihatsu mini-vehicle division matters got rocky in the wake of their testing scandal. Wordwide Daihatsu sales are down a whopping 55% y/y. Sales of core brands Toyota and Lexus were mostly unchanged for the year, but small Daihatsu hurts bigtime.
Sales of 3rd-ranked Hyundai Group also were mostly flat for the year.
And what about Volkswagen Group? Sorry, they are keeping their sales data to themselves. Volkswagen decided last month to go from a monthly to a quarterly reporting schedule, never a good sign. Kicking the can down the road probably beats cheating. Speaking of which: Last year, there were rumors flying around the VW hallwayradio that there might be cosmetic changes to the reporting of Chinese sales data.
Volkswagen would be no stranger to the beautification of sales data. In the past, it was reported that Volkswagen manipulated sales figures in France, a few years earlier it was an open secret at Volkswagen China that their sales data were doctored. Germans as they are, VW management allegedly kept detailed books on their cheating. Fake sales were booked as “UBAR,” an acronym standing for “Unsold, But AAK Reported,” a Volkswagen executive had told me over a few beers. AAK is VW speak for “Auslieferungen an Kunden,” or deliveries to customers. UBAR were made-up deliveries to customers.
An UBAR-revival was allegedly discussed during a board meeting in China last year, insiders told me. According to a well-placed VW exec, it isn’t clear whether the plans ever went live. “But I wouldn’t put UBAR 2.0 past them, should it become necessary,” the source said.
