As their fellow automotive giants reported record year-end sales numbers in the U.S., Volkswagen disclosed another monthly loss as it continues to deal with the scandal over its diesel emissions.
The German automaker saw its December sales in the U.S. decline by 9 percent compared to the same month in 2014.
VW's domestic sales declined in each month after federal regulators announced in September that the company installed software on diesel vehicles to manipulate emissions levels during official testing.
The company is preparing to implement a massive recall to fix the emissions issue on some 11 million cars worldwide, including 500,000 in the U.S.
"As we look towards 2016, we are committed to rebuilding trust in the brand and would like to thank our customers and dealers for their continued patience and loyalty," said Mark McNabb, Volkswagen's U.S. COO.
Although December's drop is less than the 25 percent decline in November's numbers, VW's 2015 sales were down nearly 5 percent in an otherwise robust year for auto sales.
Fiat Chrysler, Honda and Nissan each reported record December sales, and the latter two companies set annual sales records in the U.S.
Toyota, General Motors and Ford also saw sales gains on an annual and monthly basis. Those six companies comprised more than 75 percent of the U.S. auto market in November, according to numbers from The Wall Street Journal.
Reports anticipated 17.5 million vehicles sold in the U.S. for all of 2015, which would break the previous record set in 2000.
"The U.S. economy continues to expand and the most important factors that drive demand for new vehicles are in place, so we expect to see a second consecutive year of record industry sales in 2016,” said GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem.
