VW Group
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Although it's not been in U.S. news much lately, the VW diesel scandal continues to unfold in Germany, as prosecutors continue their investigations over whether criminal acts were committed under German law. That doesn't mean U.S. investigations have finished, however. Last week's arrest in Germany of a former Audi executive, Zacchio Giovanni Pamio, on charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, indicate that investigators in the two countries may be cooperating. DON'T MISS: Germany investigates possible Audi diesel emission cheats He's the second former VW Group executive to be...
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VW says it needs '40 gigafactories' for electric-car batteries by 2025
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...
Sean Szymkowski -
All-electric VW ID Buzz Microbus confirmed for production
Working 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 -
Will VW Group's electric cars "leapfrog" Tesla by 2025? Poll results
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...
John Voelcker -
Extent of Volkswagen diesel deceit detailed in new book
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...
Sean Szymkowski -
VW to Tesla: 'Anything you can do, we can do better'
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...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen appears to be quite clearly committed to an ambitious program of electric cars following its diesel emission scandal. But aside from two adapted models launched a few years ago—the VW e-Golf and e-Up hatchbacks—and a few low-range plug-in hybrids, it doesn't yet have much to put in showrooms. Instead, it's launching a series of battery-electric concept vehicles under the Volkswagen ID label to show its thinking for models that will roll out starting in 2019. DON'T MISS: Volkswagen ID: more details of all-electric concept car at 2016 Paris auto show The latest of these...
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After Tesla, which automaker is best in electric cars? Poll results
Regardless of the number of cars they've sold—fewer than the Renault-Nissan alliance—Tesla is undoubtedly the best-known electric-car maker in the world. It delivered 76,000 cars last year, against roughly 10 million each for Volkswagen Group, Toyota, and General Motors. But its sleek...
John Voelcker -
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 -
First high-volume VW electric car must arrive by 2020, CEO says, mostly for China
As it tries to put the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal behind it, VW Group is focusing its future on electric cars. The Volkswagen brand within the sprawling German company has developed an electric-car specific platform called MEB, and has shown multiple concepts based on it. Those include the ID...
Stephen Edelstein -
After Audi e-tron, next electric car to be compact BMW i3 competitor
Next year, the Audi e-tron luxury electric crossover is expected to arrive at U.S. dealers, bringing Audi into direct competition with the Tesla Model X roughly three years after the world's first all-electric utility vehicle went into production. But with a pledge to sell 25 percent of its cars...
John Voelcker -
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 -
Last week, Volkswagen settled an array of criminal and civil charges over its 16-month-old diesel scandal with the U.S. Justice Department. The news of the settlement was quickly swamped by a variety of further stories, both on the regulatory and diesel fronts. Those included the arrest of one Volkswagen executive, and the issuance of warrants for five others who remain in Germany and seem unlikely to be extradited. DON'T MISS: 5 more VW diesel execs indicted, including R&D head, after weekend arrest But the deal signed by VW and the Justice Department is significant in its own right...
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5 more VW diesel execs indicted, including R&D head, after weekend arrest
On Wednesday, six senior VW Group executives were indicted by the Justice Department on multiple counts of conspiracy and intent to defraud. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, to defraud customers, and to violate the Clean Air Act. All stemmed from the Volkswagen diesel...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW executive arrested by FBI on diesel emission conspiracy charges
The head of VW Group's U.S. regulatory compliance group was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation this weekend on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Oliver Schmidt led the German automaker's regulatory compliance during 2014 and the early part of 2015. The Volkswagen...
John Voelcker -
VW diesel buyback advice: don't strip parts off your car first, judge warns
The judge overseeing the Volkswagen 2.0-liter diesel settlement advised owners not to strip parts off their cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric cars lead to carmaker job cuts: new flashpoint?
It takes people to make cars: to lift and install parts, check quality, test-drive them after assembly, and so forth. Automation has eliminated many of the jobs performed by humans a century ago on the Ford Model T line, and made the rest much less physically punishing for line workers. But...
John Voelcker -
When will electric cars cost no more than equivalent diesels? VW says 2025
The cost of electric cars and diesels will equalize around 2025, says one Volkswagen Group of America executive.
Stephen Edelstein -
It's been 15 months since news broke that VW Group had used "defeat device" software in its diesel cars and SUVs that let them emit far more than permitted levels of nitrogen oxides in real-world use. Even now, however, the Volkswagen diesel scandal continues to grow new tentacles as investigators uncover additional apparent instances of wrongdoing. Last month, California regulators reportedly found software in an automatic transmission used by Audi that lowered emissions during testing, this time in both gasoline and diesel cars. DON'T MISS: CA found new cheat device in Audi transmissions...
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German government worries carmakers vulnerable to electric-car onslaught
The German government believes its car industry may fall behind in the race to build more electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
VW plans to build electric cars somewhere in N America after 2020
Volkswagen will build electric cars based on its MEB platform in North America beginning in 2021.
Stephen Edelstein -
Emissions collusion between VW and German agency runs deep: magazine
As the Volkswagen diesel scandal lumbers onwards, German media outlets have often broken the latest news and revelations from deep inside VW Group. While the German auto giant had hoped at first to have the issue largely wrapped up by now, the scandal first publicly revealed in September 2015 shows...
John Voelcker -
Electric cars will require 10,000-plus job cuts at VW, says HR chief
Volkswagen's HR boss predicts significant job cuts related to electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Buybacks coming for Audi Q7 TDI diesel SUVs: German report
Audi will buy back 25,000 Q7 TDI SUVs, according to a German report.
Stephen Edelstein