By NATALIE NOISOM

Volkswagen cars were first manufactured in the late 1930s … the two-door, five-passenger, rear-engine economy car made its way onto the streets of Germany. Now China, the automaker’s largest market, plays as its biggest contributor to sales.

Volkswagen Group said Friday that it has set a new sales record for January, a record of more than 890,000 cars sold within a month. According to posted sales, China bought more than four million cars in 2017.

However, the company suffered multiple negative headlines in late January when it was accused of using animals such as monkeys to test out their cars. Many campaigns in the world are focused based on the freedom and protection of monkeys alone such as save the primates.

Matthia Mueller, CEO of Volkswagen, released a statement confirming that VW paid to have monkeys tested in 2014 forcing them to inhale fumes from a diesel Beetle.

However, since the release of the animal testing statement, the German government and CEO of Volkswagen stated they would conduct an internal investigation and turn away from animal testing.

Ever since, they have vowed to increase new electric and hybrid vehicle models between now and 2021. A hybrid car “uses a combination of an internal combustion engine and a battery electric drive system to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions.”

Volkswagen brand sold more than 30,000 Tiguan SUVs this passed January through China alone. The sales chief of Volkswagen, Fred Kappler, said in a statement, “There was significant growth in all regions,” which was great news since the company did lose over $30 billion due to the diesel emissions animal testing scandal.

After a heavy cost in sales due to animal testing, Volkswagen and its partners hope to electrify all 300 of its model and become more eco-friendly by 2030.