Cars and Drivers

VW Audi Brand Earns Top Honors in Consumer Reports

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 17, 2016 11:05 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 11:50 am

Volkswagen AG, the parent of VW and several other car brands, may swelter in hell for years due to the scandal triggered by fraudulent statements about some VW diesel engines. The scandal could cost the manufacturer billions of dollars.

Volkswagen has received a piece of good news. Its Audi luxury brand was selected at the best brand available in America, according to the prestigious Consumer Reports annual survey.

Audi sales in the United States have grown consistently, and they have gained on Mercedes and BMW and moved well ahead of General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) Cadillac and Ford Motor Co.’s (NYSE: F) Lincoln.

According to Consumer Reports:

The highest overall brand scores in Consumer Reports’ annual indicator of which brands make the best cars went to Audi (80) and Subaru (78). Consumer Reports currently Recommends 100 percent of each brand’s models that it has tested. Luxury brands Lexus (76), Porsche (76), and BMW (76) rounded out the top five in CR’s rankings.

Specifically about the VW division:

This luxury brand is known for technology and style as much as its performance, luxurious interiors, and Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Most models, such as the A6 and A8 sedans, the Q5 SUV, and the TT coupe, are solid performers and have high-grade interiors. The entry-level A3 lacks the expected content for the price, although the Q3 SUV better delivers on its luxury promise. A redesigned Q7 three-row SUV is just out, and a new A4 sedan arrives soon. Reliability has been solidly above average as of late, and most models do well in our owner satisfaction survey.

Audi is one of a stable of brands owned by the company, which include Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Skoda, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ducati and Scania. VW is one of the three largest manufacturers in the world, along with GM and Toyota.

During the first two months of 2016, Audi sales rose 2.5% to 23,568. BMW sales dropped 8.2% to 40,580 for the same period.

As hard as it may be to fathom, Audi sales might pass those of VW in the United States. The VW brand had sales of 42,400 during the first two months of this year.