Consequences of Dieselgate in Sweden : Customers' perception of Volkswagen

Sammanfattning: Diesel scandal news (Dieselgate) in which Volkswagen fitted defeat devices on cars equipped with the EA 189-engine have appeared in media since September 2015. Sales of affected cars worldwide has led to globally seen consequences. Resulting in prosecutions and bad publicity, highlighting how Volkswagen have deceived their customers. In this thesis I have investigated what effects this scandal has had on Swedish customer’s perception of Volkswagen as a brand. My research method has consisted of different parts. I have received answers from structural questions to journalists, comments from owners and potential buyers online, interviewed customers and also had a dialogue with Volkswagen. I have found that most customer lack trust for Volkswagen as a brand, but their perception of Volkswagens products are generally good. They have throughout the ongoing scandal focused on delivering quality products. This having been the success formula that helped Volkswagen put a shade on “Dieselgate” and focus on the future. “Dieselgate” shows us that trust is not necessarily required to be able to increase sales.