VW
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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 charging. Now the first of four phases of the national plan has been issued, and the public has a chance to look at it and offer critiques. DON'T MISS: VW opens 'Electrify America' site for comment on $2 billion charging plan (Dec 2016) The first phase covers 30 months, or one quarter of the full...
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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 -
Volkswagen ID Crozz concept for all-electric crossover debuts at Shanghai auto show
The 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 -
VW resolves diesel cheating cases with 10 more U.S. states
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...
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 -
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 VW and the U.S. Justice Department was announced just under two months ago, calling for the automaker to plead guilty, pay $2.8 billion in criminal fines, and $1.45 billion in civil fines. DON'T MISS: VW settles diesel cheating cases: felony pleas, $4.3 billion fines In Detroit, attorneys for both...
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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 -
Volkswagen diesel buyback: some buyers still waiting
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...
Stephen Edelstein -
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 -
2017 VW e-Golf rated at 125 miles, tops 124-mile Hyundai Ioniq electric car
Oh, those crafty Germans. Just a few days after the week-long media launch of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq range, Volkswagen has quietly one-upped the Ioniq Electric's 124-mile EPA-rated range. Granted, it's only beaten the South Korean electric car by 1 mile. But still. DON'T MISS: Hyundai Ioniq...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen e-Golf to end when ID electric hatchback launches?
The Volkswagen e-Golf will arrive in dealerships this spring with a higher-capacity battery pack that gives the electric car an EPA-rated 124 miles of range. The number equals the rating of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq, and is the highest range offered by any electric car that's not a Chevy Bolt EV or a...
John Voelcker -
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 remains a powerful and major shareholder. DON'T MISS: VW's home state calls diesel actions 'inexcusable' as scandal expands (Nov 2016) The statement summary read, "The Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG emphatically repudiates the assertions made by Ferdinand Piëch as reported recently in the...
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VW suggests engine downsizing is done; emissions rules are the reason
When it comes to improving fuel efficiency, simply making an engine smaller is a fairly direct way to get results. It's the approach that many automakers have taken in recent years. They have downsized engines across model lines, usually adding turbochargers at the same time to match the power...
Stephen Edelstein -
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 -
Bosch to pay VW diesel owners $330 million in emission scandal too
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...
John Voelcker -
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 -
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 -
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 scandal. Dealers initially considered launching a class-action lawsuit against Volkswagen after being left out of the initial settlement for 2.0-liter TDI cars, but elected to negotiate with the automaker instead. DON'T MISS: Where do bought-back VW diesels go? Dead NFL stadiums, among other places...
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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 -
Court orders full reimbursement for VW diesel owner in Germany
A lot has been said about Volkswagen's use of "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, but a German court may win the prize for most-creative description. VW "defeat device" software is like putting horse meat in lasagna, three German judges decreed during a recent...
Stephen Edelstein -
VW Group plans 8 plug-in electric cars for China
As it works to recover from its diesel emission scandal, the Volkswagen Group is rapidly embracing electric cars. By 2025, the company hopes to be selling 1 million electric cars per year, and plans to launch 30 different electric models across multiple brands in the coming years. According to a...
Stephen Edelstein -
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