Volkswagen News
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It has been almost two years since Volkswagen changed the prospects for diesel-powered cars when it admitted to eight years' worth of cheating on emissions tests for its so-called clean diesel vehicles. The effects of the German automaker's diesel scandal are still unfolding today, not only in the United States, but in Europe as well. Another piece in Volkswagen's diesel scandal is expected to progress toward a resolution this morning. DON'T MISS: VW exec pleads not guilty on diesel cheating charges Former Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt is expected to plead guilty to charges surrounding...
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Modifications to oldest, dirtiest VW, Audi TDI diesels approved by EPAVW Group of North America now owns hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen and Audi TDI diesel vehicles it has bought back from owners under the terms of various diesel emission scandal settlements. Yesterday, it got some very good news: the EPA has approved a modification that will it allow it to...
John Voelcker -
Audi, Mercedes now updating European diesels for emissions; more to come?Both Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and Volkswagen Group have approved new plans to retrofit older diesel-powered vehicles with new software at no cost to owners. The largest number of such cars will be in Europe. The news comes amid the latest allegations surrounding German automakers and their...
Sean Szymkowski -
Volkswagen's 5 electric cars start in 2019: what we know so farAs Volkswagen works to look toward the future, following its damaging diesel deceit, electric cars and plug-in vehicles will be front and center in its product publicity. The German automaker has already hinted at its future electric cars with a handful of concepts, but its first high-volume...
Sean Szymkowski -
EU investigating diesel collusion among Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, VW: reportAs numerous political probes over the years have famously shown, once investigators dig into the circumstances around an alleged crime, anything can happen. The September 2015 announcement by the EPA that VW Group engineers had admitted to deliberate cheating on U.S. emission tests of the company's...
John Voelcker -
VW intends to price its ID electric car five-door hatchback aggressivelyVolkswagen intends to take on the growing global electric-car market in an aggressive way, given the automaker's range of I.D. electric-vehicle concepts over the last couple of years. While a complete portfolio of electric cars will eventually find their way into production, the first high-volume...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW Group remains one of the world's three largest carmakers, along with Toyota and General Motors, but the German automaker foresees challenges ahead. Specifically, Volkswagen believes the industry will face a shortage of lithium-ion batteries if new investment is not made soon for additional cell fabrication factories, often referred to using Tesla's coinage of "gigafactories." Ulrich Eichhorn, Volkswagen research and development chief, believes the equivalent of 40 Tesla gigafactories will be needed to stave off a shortage of batteries for the volumes of electric cars VW plans to sell...
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Diesel deception: more pain ahead for VW brands, Bosch?Volkswagen Group is moving toward wrapping up its diesel deceit in the United States, but in Europe, it may only be starting. European owners of Volkswagen Group vehicles—Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, and Skoda—may justifiably feel as if they've received the short end of the stick when it...
Sean Szymkowski -
All-electric VW ID Buzz Microbus confirmed for productionWorking to redirect attention from its diesel-emission scandal—soon to wind down in the U.S. but ongoing in Europe—Volkswagen Group has talked a lot about its future electric-car plans. It will launch three high-volume battery-electric vehicles on a common architecture over the next...
John Voelcker -
VW too will launch electric-car joint venture in China with partnerVolkswagen is following the lead of many other global automakers: it has signed a deal for a new electric-vehicle joint venture in China. The German automaker said this week it has partnered with Chinese automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co. (JAC) to produce electric vehicles, as well as to...
Sean Szymkowski -
Germany investigates possible Audi diesel emission cheatsJust as the Volkswagen Group begins to wind down its diesel scandal in the United States, things may be ramping up in Europe. A German government task force discovered a new type of defeat device in Audi vehicles, which allows the cars to cheat emission tests. Both V-6 and V-8 powered Audi A8...
Sean Szymkowski -
Lasting legacy of VW diesel scandal: EU gets serious about testingThe Volkswagen diesel scandal left lasting imprints on the entire automotive industry, and may have changed the way regulators look at vehicles using the fuel forever. That's true not just in the United States, but elsewhere as well. The European Union is now increasing its efforts to make sure a...
Sean Szymkowski -
Looking back from the 2020s or 2030s, it's entirely likely that the unexpected arrival of Tesla Motors was a major force—along with legislation, perhaps the major force—in getting legacy automakers to produce electric cars. Competition has always spurred innovation, and German makers in particular were caught entirely unprepared for the 200,000 or so buyers who's happily paid close to $100,000 for a large, good-looking, all-electric car from a Silicon Valley startup maker. Now the Germans are playing catch-up, but history also shows another principle: those who innovate are often...
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VW to cut environmental impact of carmaking by 45 percentIn the wake of its diesel emission scandal, Volkswagen has done its best to portray itself as a cleaner, more thoughtful automaker. Part of the damage control plot includes a slew of new electric vehicles to round out the German automaker's portfolio in the coming years. But, what about the...
Sean Szymkowski -
German electric-car industry centers in 'Silicon Saxony'Silicon Valley seems to grab many of the tech headlines in the United States, especially when it comes to autonomous vehicles, cars that plug in, and the future of transportation. Electric-car maker Tesla has undeniably contributed to Silicon Valley's automotive chops, but other makers are working...
Sean Szymkowski -
2012-2014 VW Passat TDI diesels approved for modification by EPAAnother small portion of Volkswagen's diesel scandal has been put to rest: the EPA announced its approval of modifications for 2012 through 2014 Passat TDI sedans. In total, 84,391 Volkswagen Passat TDI diesel vehicles are eligible to be modified and deemed compliant, should the existing owner...
Sean Szymkowski -
Judge approves VW diesel V-6 settlement, last major piece of scandalThe Volkswagen diesel cheating saga has closed another chapter as a U.S. judge approved a proposed settlement for V-6 powered vehicles, the final major U.S. piece of the entire scandal. In total, Volkswagen will pay $1.22 billion, both in settlements to owners and to cover the cost of modifying or...
Sean Szymkowski -
Extent of Volkswagen diesel deceit detailed in new bookIt'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...
Sean Szymkowski -
With a new book imminent that gives new details on its diesel-emission cheating scandal, Volkswagen Group continues to struggle for positive corporate PR. Yet the company publicly appears to be confident that it has weathered the worst of that storm. Moreover, while its first high-volume electric cars won't hit the market until 2019 or 2020, the company promises great things once that happens. DON'T MISS: 2017 VW e-Golf: first drive of updated 125-mile electric car Now, the CEO of the Volkswagen brand has said that the Group will "leapfrog" electric-car pioneer Tesla as it comes to dominate...
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2017 Volkswagen e-Golf: first drive of updated 125-mile electric carThe 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, the only battery-electric car sold by VW in the U.S., got a large range boost for its third year on the market. While the current model year is winding to a close, 2017 e-Golfs are just now reaching dealers in the handful of states where the compact electric car is...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen T-Roc video teases new small SUV five months early (updated)Sales of crossover utility vehicles—the ones that look like tough, capable, high-riding SUVs but actually sit on passenger-car underpinnings—continue to surge all over the world. Carmakers are meeting the demand by adding new varieties (four-door coupe utility vehicle, anyone?) and...
John Voelcker -
Modified 'new' 2015 Volkswagen TDI diesels come with big discountsIf 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 -
Brand-new 2015 Volkswagen TDI diesels back on sale after modificationsIf 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 -
Volkswagen ID Crozz concept for all-electric crossover debuts at Shanghai auto showThe Chinese government wants more plug-in electric cars sold in the country—and quickly. The Shanghai auto show this week demonstrates that multiple global automakers are stepping up to the plate, both with production cars and concepts. The Volkswagen ID Crozz Concept shows what a future...
John Voelcker