There’s no surprise in the concerning emissions from these Volkswagen products. According to a report by the German news agency DPA, sales of Volkswagen’s currywurst outstripped vehicle sales in 2015.
“Currywurst?” you might ask. “Is that a type of hot dog?” You’d be correct if it was produced in Lower Saxony, where Volkswagen creates these tasty sausages in large quantities. In 2015, VW manufactured 7.2 million sausages filled with a mix of beef, pork, and various other meat byproducts, as reported by DPA. In comparison, the company sold 5.82 million cars worldwide.
It’s worth noting that even before the diesel emissions scandal hit Volkswagen hard, the company was already selling fewer cars than its sausage products. In 2014, around 6.3 million sausages were shipped, compared to 6.12 million vehicles sold. However, when a company is caught installing cheat software on 11 million diesel vehicles, misleading government regulators, sending confusing messages to TDI owners, and putting public health at risk, it faces serious scrutiny.
Volkswagen Group remains a dominant player in the automotive market, selling 9.93 million vehicles globally in 2015, just behind Toyota’s 10.08 million. One factor that may have helped Volkswagen weather the Dieselgate storm is its diverse product range. Brands such as Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Skoda, Seat, Bugatti, Lamborghini, MAN, Scania, and Ducati contributed 4 million unit sales to the group’s overall success in 2015. And yes, sausages played a role here too.
Additionally, Volkswagen’s ketchup division also performed well, producing 608,000 kilograms of ketchup, an increase from 537,000 kilograms in 2014. Currywurst pairs perfectly with ketchup, but the same cannot be said for the public’s trust and the deception involved in this scandal.
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