Volkswagen management has said that if only the car manufacturer could have one or two cars that met with strong demand, that would allow its U.S. division to have time to build an entire product line. That, in turn would help it compete with other mainstream manufacturers. VW has not proven that point, but it is in the early stages of showing the strategy could work in the future. The Golf family of cars has started to gain rapid sales, as it releases newer versions of the line.

In May, VW sold 34,758 cars, up 8%. By the standards of other leading car companies, the figure is a disappointment. But the numbers would have collapsed if Golf sales had not surged.

Sales of the base Golf rose 188% to 1,972. Sales of the sporty GTI were up 65% to 1,826. Adding to that were three brand new models that were not available last year. The Golf R sold 312 units. The e-Golf sold 410 units, and the Golf SportWagen sold 1,788.

These numbers barely offset terrible sales across several products. Beetle sales dropped 2% to 2,685. Jetta SportsWagen sale collapsed 88% to 225. CC sales were slaughtered, down 44% to 582. The trouble with the model lines other than the Golf shows that VW management’s contention about needing broader model lines is true.

VW’s product line in the United Kingdom is much larger than the one in America. Critics have to wonder why more of those models are not sold in the United States. Despite encouraging results, VW has not expanded its model line, as management says is necessary to give VW a chance in the America.

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