Daniel Weissland has said Volkswagen’s diesel-emissions scandal is “history,” but it’s on him and VW Canada to con- vince Canadian consumers that the company has moved on. 

And if the automaker’s sales numbers in 2018 were any indication, they might be succeeding. VW sales were up compared with a year earlier, despite the automaker’s car-heavy lineup and the potential baggage of the diesel scandal. 

Weissland, 45, said the company would “focus on innovations to strengthen our brand” in the aftermath of the scandal, increasing spending on technologies and utility. Doing so could keep long-time customers satisfied while winning over new buyers, he said. 

“I didn’t come here to just keep them doing what we have done,” he said.