Volkswagen diesel scandal
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It's getting close to two years since Volkswagen admitted it had installed "defeat device" software on hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. The fact that VW carried out the deception is a well-documented story, covering how the software worked, how the company cheated, and more. But what went on behind the scenes leading up to Volkswagen's admission of guilt is a less well-known tale. DON'T MISS: VW, Audi TDI Diesel Cars Had 'Defeat Device' That Violated EPA Rules, 500K Cars Recalled (Sep 2015) A new book, titled Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal, aims to...
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Modified 'new' 2015 Volkswagen TDI diesels come with big discounts
If you're itching to climb into a brand new, 2015 Volkswagen TDI, the german automaker wants to sweeten the deal for you. Volkswagen has begun selling its fixed, 2015 model year TDI diesel vehicles and the marque has given dealers a bit of firepower to help move cars from dealerships to driveways...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW Electrify America plan for electric-car charging across U.S. released
Two billion dollars is a lot of money. When VW Group of America agreed to fund a $2 billion project to spread zero-emission vehicle infrastructure across the U.S. as part of its settlements in the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal, that immediately changed the playing field for electric-car fast...
John Voelcker -
Brand-new 2015 Volkswagen TDI diesels back on sale after modifications
If you're a diehard diesel fan, you now have one last chance to buy a brand-new Volkswagen TDI diesel car. Well, almost brand-new, anyhow: the cars in question are 2015 models, and about 11,000 of them will go on sale after they have been modified. Once they're sold, there will likely be no more...
John Voelcker -
Europe diesel sales sag slightly, continuing trend since 2012
Despite efforts by Chevrolet to step into the void left by Volkswagen, sales of diesel passenger vehicles in the U.S. may have been permanently crippled by the VW diesel emission scandal. In Europe, however, diesel has been entrenched for decades as roughly 50 percent of the market. Even before the...
John Voelcker -
Asking prices climb for used VW TDI diesels as buybacks proceed
If you have your eyes on a used Volkswagen or Audi TDI turbodiesel, you may wind up having to pay more today for 2009 through 2015 models than you would have when they were new. At least right now, only 2015 model-year versions of VW and Audi vehicles sold with the 2.0-liter turbodiesel 4-cylinder...
Andrew Ganz -
Volkswagen Group of America continues to work through a long list of civil and criminal lawsuits over its diesel emission cheating scandal. Yesterday, the company said it had reached agreements with attorneys general in 10 states to resolve environmental claims against it. The pact also covers some claims by consumers that were not included in the earlier, broader class-action settlement finalized in January. DON'T MISS: VW officially pleads guilty to felonies in diesel emission scandal Earlier this month, VW pleaded guilty to three criminal charges related to its use of illegal "defeat...
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Modified European VW diesels 'undrivable,' say some owners
Most of the Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars sold in the U.S. from 2009 through 2015 are likely to be bought back from their owners, probably leaving fewer than 100,000 on U.S. roads. That's not the case in Europe, where the impacts of the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal are still playing out...
John Voelcker -
VW's Electrify America submits electric-car charging plan to EPA, CARB: now what?
Volkswagen has submitted a plan for electric-charging infrastructure to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. VW's "Electrify America" plan shows how the automaker would spend funds it is required to commit to zero-emission vehicle infrastructure under the...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW pleads guilty to felonies in diesel emission scandal
On Friday, Volkswagen pleaded guilty to three criminal charges related to its use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests. Entry of the plea is the latest step toward resolving the criminal aspect of Volkswagen's diesel scandal in the U.S. A settlement between...
Stephen Edelstein -
EPA's internal watchdog to check vulnerability to emission cheating
Even with a new leader apparently at odds with its mission, the Environmental Protection Agency continues to function on some level. On Thursday, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said carbon dioxide released by human activity is not a major cause of climate change, directly contradicting the...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW diesel cheating produced 1,200 premature deaths: MIT study
In September 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed Volkswagen's use of illegal "defeat device" software in its diesel cars. The software routines allowed cars to pass emissions tests while still producing up to 35 times the legal limits of nitrogen oxides in real-world driving...
Stephen Edelstein -
In October, a federal judge signed the final agreement covering the majority of cars affected by the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal. That allowed the Volkswagen Group to start issuing buyback offers for half a million vehicles sold by the VW and Audi brands from 2009 through 2015 that were fitted with 2.0-liter TDI diesel engines. But four months later, some of the 475,000 VW TDI owners covered by the settlement are still waiting to complete buybacks. DON'T MISS: VW exec pleads not guilty on diesel cheating charges Volkswagen customers who financed their cars through third-party lenders...
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VW exec pleads not guilty on diesel cheating charges
A Volkswagen executive appeared in a federal courtroom in Detroit on Thursday to be arraigned on charges related to the automaker's diesel-emissions cheating. Oliver Schmidt previously headed the VW Group's U.S. regulatory compliance group. He was arrested by the FBI in Florida last month, while...
Stephen Edelstein -
Chevy Cruze Diesel lawsuit to move into discovery phase
Shock waves from Volkswagen's admission that it had installed "defeat device" software on its so-called clean diesels to cheat on emission tests continue to reverberate around the auto industry. The diesel-emission scandal that emerged in September 2015 has already cost VW Group more than $20...
John Voelcker -
'Near-zero' diesel cheaper way to cut NOx than electric cars, says diesel lobbying group
A prominent lobbying group believes environmental remediation funds from Volkswagen diesel settlements should be spent on new "clean" diesel vehicles. The settlement for 2.0-liter TDI cars approved last year requires VW to pay $2.7 billion into a trust, managed by a third party. Volkswagen agreed...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW Board vs ex-CEO Piech: rancor erupts over diesel cheating lies
Statements from the boards of directors of automakers are generally dry, dispassionate, and formal. So the language of a terse item issued yesterday by the board of Volkswagen Group was remarkable in its directness. Not to mention its inferences about the company's former CEO Ferdinand Piech, who...
John Voelcker -
Which VW diesels can be fixed (updated), and which can't?
More than 16 months after Volkswagen's use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel vehicles was announced by the Environmental Protection Agency, some progress is finally being made in addressing the affected cars. Settlements are now in place for almost half a million VW and Audi models with...
Stephen Edelstein -
With a judge set to weigh in on the settlement VW Group negotiated with its 3.0-liter V-6 diesel owners, Volkswagen seems to have settled most of the U.S. legal claims stemming from its diesel-emission cheating scandal. Total costs in the U.S. alone are now more than $20 billion, and among other penalties, VW has pleaded guilty to three felony counts of criminal misconduct under U.S. law. But another settlement with VW diesel owners has gotten much less attention. DON'T MISS: Settlement for Audi, Porsche, VW 3.0-liter diesel TDI owners announced It's by global auto supplier Bosch, which sells...
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Settlement for Audi, Porsche, VW 3.0-liter diesel TDI owners announced
Volkswagen today announced that it had reached a settlement with owners of Audi, Porsche, and VW vehicles fitted with its 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine. Different remedies apply depending on the vehicle's model year: 2009 through 2012 cars will be bought back, while 2013 through 2016 vehicles will be...
John Voelcker -
EU cracks down as diesel scandal exposes lax tests country by country
The Volkswagen diesel scandal has led to much greater scrutiny on the methods regulatory agencies use to test vehicle emissions, particularly in Europe. Even before news of Volkswagen's diesel "defeat device" software broke, the European fuel-economy testing cycle was known to be overly optimistic...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW diesel probe finally reaches to top; former CEO Winterkorn investigated by German prosecutors
German prosecutors have extended a probe into Volkswagen's use of "defeat device" software in diesel cars to former CEO Martin Winterkorn. Winterkorn, who resigned shortly after the existence of VW "defeat device" software was revealed by the EPA, has said he had no knowledge of the...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW dealers settle too; average payout almost $2 million each
A settlement between Volkswagen and its U.S. franchised dealers over the diesel-emissions scandal has been approved by a federal judge. First announced last August, the settlement calls for VW dealers to compensated for the alleged loss in value of their franchises related to fallout from the...
Stephen Edelstein -
Where do bought-back VW diesels go? Dead NFL stadiums, among other places
When news of its diesel-emissions cheating broke last September, Volkswagen issued a stop-sale order for affected TDI diesel cars. Now that a settlement for 2.0-liter TDI models has been approved, the automaker is also beginning to buy back cars with illegal "defeat device" software from customers...
Stephen Edelstein