Volkswagen has a fresh lineup with a facelifted Golf, Jetta, and Taos. If that wasn’t enough new blood, the company launched a redesigned Tiguan not long ago.

While you’d expect these models to help boost sales, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Quite the opposite as the only vehicles that posted gains last year were fully electric.

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This is a tad surprising, but consumers rushed to take advantage of the expiring tax credit. This resulted in a significant boost in the third quarter as ID.4 sales skyrocketed 176% to 12,470 units.

Now, with the tax credit gone, sales of the electric crossover plunged 61.6% to a mere 248 vehicles. That’s a massive swing of 12,222 units in just six months.

While sales have fallen off a cliff, the ID.4 finished the year up 31.4%. However, that pales in comparison to the ID. Buzz, which jumped 428.4%. That being said, Volkswagen only moved 6,140 electric vans and has already announced the EV is skipping the 2026 model year.

The picture gets pretty bleak from there as every other vehicles saw sales decline last year. The Jetta was off by 24.4%, while the Golf GTI and R dropped by up to 34.7%.

VW US SALES 2025

Even the brand’s crossovers struggled as the Atlas and Atlas Coupe only generated a combined 102,608 sales. The Taos was down 13.6%, while the Tiguan dropped 16.7% as some buyers likely held off for the redesigned model.

For the year, Volkswagen sold 329,813 vehicles in the United States. That’s down 13% and it means the brand was outsold by Mazda (410,346).

Audi Had Another Dismal Year

Things were even worse at Audi, which saw sales fall 16% to 164,942 units. That means they were beaten by Cadillac (173,515), Lexus (370,260), and BMW (388,897).

The numbers are terrible as the only models that saw gains were the aging A7 (5%) and Q8 (5%). The Q6 e-tron shot up 1,681%, although that’s mostly due to a late launch and limited supply last year.

That being said, the model appears to be a hit as consumers snapped up 17,207 units. This is more than three times the number of Q4 e-trons sold as sales were down 38% to a modest 5,264.

Speaking of EVs, the e-tron GT tumbled 59%, while the new A6 e-tron Sportback found 3,931 buyers. The discontinued Q8 e-tron lineup is also getting pretty rare and this explains why sales have fallen off the map.

The rest of the numbers should be given some context as Audi is in the midst of a major product revamp. As a result, there’s a new A5, A6, Q3, and Q5. Most of these models are already on sale in the United States, but the Q3 arrives shortly.

That being said, there are still a number of outdated models weighing sales down. One of the worst offenders is the Q7, which saw sales drop 12% last year to a disappointing 18,381 units. To put that into perspective, Lexus sold 57,346 TX crossovers.

Audi is preparing a host of upgrades for the 2026 model year, covering the A5, A6, Q5, A6 e-tron, and Q6 e-tron. It’s not just a set of software tweaks or safety updates either. The brand says these revisions are designed to make some of its most popular models more enjoyable behind the wheel.

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However, Audi hasn’t yet said whether these updates will cross the Atlantic for American buyers, leaving the U.S. lineup unchanged for now.

What’s Changing Inside?

The biggest transformations happen inside. Like Volkswagen, Audi has come to appreciate that customers never really warmed to capacitive steering-wheel buttons. So from 2026 onward, all affected models will adopt a redesigned wheel fitted with two physical scroll controls, restoring the tactile precision that many drivers missed.

One of the upgrades that’s bound to be enjoyed by S5 and S6 e-tron customers will be the addition of a Dynamic Plus driving mode. Audi says that this will maximize the dynamics of both models, allowing for controlled oversteer despite their advanced quattro all-wheel drive systems and brake torque vectoring.

For all models built on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), the regenerative braking system receives further refinement. Drivers will be able to use true one-pedal operation, bringing the car smoothly to a halt without engaging the friction brakes.

Smarter Tech

Audi is also introducing a more advanced version of its driver-assistance system across its PPE and PPC models. From next year, these cars will include an autonomous lane-change function where the driver simply needs to toggle the turn signal, and the car will automatically change lane.

Following BMW’s lead, Audi will introduce a trained parking feature capable of autonomously navigating up to 200 meters on private property, retracing a saved route to or from a parking space.

Moreover, starting next year, the new A6 will come equipped with digital matrix LED headlights and digital OLED taillights that include configurable light signatures.

Select models will gain the option of an integrated dashcam mounted at the base of the rear-view mirror. The 4K camera records both driving and parking footage, offering a built-in alternative to aftermarket systems.

Audi has also introduced several mood scenarios, or what it calls ‘experience worlds,’ into the cabin, which adjust the interior lighting, sound, climate control settings, and massage functions. Updates have also been made to the onboard gaming system, meaning controllers can now be paired over Bluetooth.