Volkswagen had a tough go of things last year. The company’s sales fell by 10 percent in China, arguably its most important. Its other stronghold, Europe, was flat, with a shrinking overall car market that led to VW Group sales falling by 0.1%. This strained the company’s finances, eventually forcing the company to shed 35,000 jobs over the forthcoming years. The bright spot in all of this was the company’s performance in the Americas. South American sales grew 15%, while North American sales grew 6%, underlined by incredible 15.2% growth for the VW brand in the U.S. After decades of trying to crack the U.S., amid brutal competition elsewhere, things were looking up for Volkswagen. Now, tariffs may blow all of that away. The VW plant in Puebla, Mexico. Photo by: Volkswagen
