Volkswagen

Last month, the United Auto Workers established a local chapter for workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. This month, opponents of the UAW are working on establishing their own union chapter. According to Reuters, opponents are creating the first chapter of American Council of Employees, which will allow hourly and salary workers to join. Mike Burton, a key player in defeating the UAW's efforts to represent hourly workers in Chattanooga, is leading the efforts in creating this new union. He tells Reuters that since the UAW lost, more workers have come over to the UAW's side. The hope with this new union is that it will force Volkswagen to hold another vo…

2010 Porsche Panamera Latest Look Link to Original Article @ AutoWeek | Published 07/10/07, 3:30 pm et Porsche’s four-door Panamera keeps lapping the Nürburgring, as these photos taken hours ago near the main entrance of the “ring” show. Due for a formal unveiling at the 2009 Geneva motor show, Porsche’s Panamera is expected to be a strong competitor for the Mercedes CLS and the future Aston Martin Rapide, as well as Volkswagen’s coming four-door coupe. Though the Panamera takes design elements from the 911 range, there are obvious significant differences. While the 911 has always kept its rear-mounted boxer engine, the Panamera will have a choice of three front-moun…

A lot has been happening in the past couple of days for Volkswagen over the diesel emission scandal. Let's get you up to date. First, Volkswagen of American has pulled its application for EPA certification on 2016 models equipped with the 2.0L diesel four-cylinder until they comply with emission standards for the U.S. Volkswagen hasn't said when they will resend their application for certification. Next is the Associated Press reporting that German prosecutors carried out searches at a number of Volkswagen facilities, including the company's headquarters in Wolfsburg today. In a statement, the purpose of the searches was to "secure documents and data storage devic…

A number of Volkswagen executives will not be seeing their full bonus for 2015. In a statement today, Volkswagen announced bonus payments for top executives will be cut "significantly." This announcement comes a week after it was revealed that Volkswagen Group Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch would be getting about 10 million euros (about $11.4 million) as compensation for stepping down as the company's CFO. News about this bonus angered Volkswagen's labor leaders and the state of Lower Saxony, Volkswagen's second-largest shareholder. They argued Volkswagen should just scrap the bonuses since Volkswagen could experience more financial pains due to the diesel emission scan…

No $6,000 diesel premium here... http://www.vw.com/jettasportwagen/pricelist/en/us/#/overview http://www.vw.com/jettasportwagen/complete...n/us/#/show_all S 2.5L 170 hp 5-speed Manual $ 18,999 S 2.5L 170 hp 6-speed Tiptronic® $ 20,099 SE 2.5L 170 hp 5-speed Manual $ 21,349 SE 2.5L 170 hp 6-speed Tiptronic® $ 22,449 SEL 2.0T 200 hp 6-speed Manual $ 25,990 SEL 2.0T 200 hp 6-speed DSG $ 27,090 TDI 2.0L 140 hp 6-speed Manual $ 23,590 TDI 2.0L 140 hp 6-speed DSG $ 24,690 $650 DESTINATION CHARGE APPLIES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE). The wagon is $1,500 more than the sedan, so the TDI sedan should be ~$21,990. It's slightly smaller than …

Ford's decision to drop most of their passenger car lineup last week is still sending shockwaves, and likely causing various automakers to have discussions about if they should follow in their footsteps. One automaker that will not be following Ford is Volkswagen. “We are intending to be a full line car manufacturer,” said Volkswagen of America CEO Hinrich Woebcken. The reason as to why? Electric Vehicles. “The question of whether electric mobility will favor sedans or SUVs hasn’t been answered yet. When you’re talking about electric cars, sedans have more advantages. The shape and the [drag coefficient] has a high effect on range. Therefore, we’ll maybe se…

German based Volkswagen revealed their global EV the ID.2all that is expected to be the cost leading EV beating Tesla their biggest EV competitor to offering a coming entry level EV for the masses. The company has stated that the ID.2all is spacious like a Golf and affordable like the Polo with a range of 450 KM or 280 Miles of range on a single charge. This newest addition to the ID family will be built on the new MEB platform. This EV will go into production in 2024 with an on-sale date of European Market 2025 and other markets to follow. Per Kai Grunitz, member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for technical development: “The ID. 2all w…

This engine must sound incredible... the snarl and high-revs of a V10 with the whistle and torque of two turbos.. ptember 5, 2007 Avant one now: it's the Audi RS6! It's finally here. After months of speculation, subterfuge and spy shots, the Audi RS6 has revealed itself to the world. Muscling into Frankfurt to steal the thunder from, well, everything, the RS6 looks like being everything we hoped for - and a bit more besides. Let's start with a few numbers. The new RS6 will be powered by a twin-turbo version of the S6's 5.2-litre V10, which now develops a monstrous 572bhp at 6,250rpm. There's 480lb ft of torque available from as low down as 1,500rpm, helping to…

Ever since Martin Winterkorn resigned from his post as Volkswagen Group CEO due to diesel emission scandal sixteen months ago, he has been out of the spotlight. However, Winterkorn made his first public appearance today at a parliamentary committee in Berlin investigating the emission irregularities of automobiles. At the hearing, Winterkorn maintained his innocence, saying he had no part in the cheating, nor knew anything about it. “It’s incomprehensible why I wasn’t informed early and clearly. I would have prevented any type of deception or misleading of authorities,” said Winterkorn. Winterkorn declined to answer questions dealing with when he was informed ab…

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com April 10, 2012 During the first generation Porsche Cayenne's life, Porsche unveiled the Cayenne GTS. The Cayenne GTS was a hardcore performance version that offered a tuned naturally-aspirated V8 engine and other tweaks to make it one of fastest SUVs for its time. Now, Porsche is doing a new Cayenne GTS that will be shown at this month's Beijing Auto Show. The GTS is based on the Cayenne S, with which it shares a naturally-aspirated V-8 engine. Horsepower has been increased by 20 horsepower to 420. Transmission choice will be an eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission. All-wheel-drive will be standard. Perfo…

Rumors about the demise of the Volkswagen Beetle have been flying around for the past few years, but we finally have confirmation that it is ending. Volkswagen's R&D boss, Frank Welsch tells Autocar that there will not be a replacement for the Beetle. Welsch said "two or three generations is enough now" for the model and that the upcoming I.D. Buzz will take the place of the Beetle. No timeframe was given as to when Beetle production would end. The news isn't so shocking when you take a look at the Beetle's sales numbers which have been in freefall since 2013, 2013: 43,134 2014: 29,182 2015: 22,667 2016: 15,667 2017: 15,166 …

The settlement between the U.S. Government and Volkswagen still has to be approved by a federal court judge, but we're already getting some indications of what owners are planning to do when it is approved. Car and Driver got their hands on a memorandum filed at U.S. Federal Court in San Francisco by Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein - the firm representing owners in the case. The memorandum argued for the deal to get final approval - ahead of an October 18th hearing. But this memorandum also revealed some staggering numbers. At the time Car and Driver wrote their story, more than 311,000 owners - about 65 percent of the total 475,000 vehicles eligible - have re…

http://www.leftlanenews.com/volkswagen-nms.html Pictures after the jump.

The workers Volkswagen's Chattanooga assembly plant in Tennessee have made their decision on union representation. On Friday night, retired Tennessee Circuit Court Judge Sam Payne released the results of the three day vote which saw workers say no to UAW representation by a vote of 712 people opposed to 626 people in favor. "On behalf of Volkswagen Group of America, I want to thank all of our Chattanooga production and maintenance employees for their participation in this week's vote. They have spoken, and Volkswagen will respect the decision of the majority," said Frank Fischer, CEO and Chairman of Volkswagen Chattanooga. The decision makes the Chattanooga plant an out…

We're getting to the point where it is becoming a bad idea mentioning 'could it get any worse' when talking about Volkswagen and the diesel scandal it finds itself embroiled in. Sooner or later, it will get one step worse. Case in point is Volkswagen admitting on Friday that their 3.0L TDI V6 used on a number of their vehicles does violate emission standards. Earlier in November, the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) accused Volkswagen of using a defeat device in a number of vehicles with the 3.0L TDI V6. Volkswagen denied the allegations at the time. But Volkswagen and Audi told EPA and CARB officials this week that yes the 3.0L TDI V6 did violate reg…

Linkypoo I didn't know Audi was planning an A3 diesel until I stumbled across it on their website. Pretty interesting idea, hopefully its not priced above the A3 3.2.

Volkswagen is facing criminal charges over the diesel emission scandal in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal reports that investigators from the U.S. Justice Department have found evidence of criminal wrongdoing. It is unclear what the evidence is. According to sources, federal prosecutors are still trying to figure out what charges should be brought against Volkswagen. Sources go on to say that prosecutors and lawyers from Volkswagen have held preliminary discussions about the case. The two parties are trying to reach a settlement before the end of the year. A matter up for debate is whether the Justice Department will seek a guilty plea or a deferred prosecution agree…

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 18, 2013 Volkswagen is planning to shutter all of its naturally-aspirated engines within the next three to four years. This news came from Volkswagen’s executive vice president for group quality, Mark Trahan. “You have to have a turbo these days. We only have one normally aspirated gas engine, and when we go to the next generation vehicle that it’s in, it will be replaced. So three, four years maximum.” That engine is the 3.6L VR6 that is found in the Passat, CC, and Touareg. Source: The Detroit News William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected]…

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/30/spy-sho...-pick-up-truck/ Rumors of a German (or at least German-branded) pickup truck have been bouncing around longer than a Lamborghini sport-ute or Ferrari sedan, and may seem just as out of place. But the automotive paparazzi have brought the speculation back to the forefront, spying a developmental test mule of what is tipped to be a Volkswagen truck undergoing apparent cold-weather testing. The vehicle spied appears to be the mid-size quad-cab short-bed pickup rumored to wear the Robust nameplate. A variety of cab and bed configurations are likely to be part of the package when it goes into production in Argentina. An SUV deri…

Volkswagen and I have teamed up to show how much drivers can learn from autocrossing. In a multi-part series, I'll be showcasing what racing around a parking lot can teach regular drivers that they can use everyday. And, as a side benefit, I'm learning just how much fun the new Beetle is on the track! Post what you think here! http://automotivetraveler.com/jump/4137

Volkswagen and U.S. Government were going to have a hearing at U.S. Federal Court in San Francisco today for an update on the 3.0L TDI talks. But yesterday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer has pushed it back to next month. Reuters got their hands on a court order in which Breyer says "negotiations are continuing between the German automaker, regulators, and lawyers representing owners," and a delay "may produce a resolution of the outstanding issues." As we reported earlier this month, Volkswagen and regulators have possibly reached a deal for the 3.0L TDI with 60,000 of the affected vehicles being fixed, and the other 20,000 being bought back. There are stil…

Courtesy of Motor Trend -Mike Connor. (The) Latest rumours converning Ferdinand Piech, Porsche, and Volkswagen Group is that Porsche is trying to separate Audi AG from VW, so it can buy the Audi unit outright. Insiders also say VW board meetings have become much more rambunctious now that Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking is a regular visitor to Wolfsburg. Wiedeking has been vocal in his criticism of loss-making Bugatti (the Veyron will reportedly struggle to reach its sales target of 300 vehicles) and wants to turn it into a coachbuilding company making just 20 to 30 handbuilt vehicles a year. For a more complete, interesting, and hopelessly confusing view of Volkswagen …

This makes getting the diesel a no-brainer, assuming dealers don't mark them up. I took a DSG sedan demo for quick drive, and my impressions were mixed. It sounds like a 100K mile 1.8T with a worn cam chain tensioner, there's still a good deal of turbo lag when accelerating gently from a stop, the DSG wasn't exactly transparent (in automatic mode, there was way too much engine braking, and at low speeds, you can feel the automatic clutch engagement messing about), and the brake feel seemed inconsistent. That all made for a less-than-smooth driving experience around town. I wanted to see what sort of fuel economy it would get in normal driving, so I didn't test out it…

Last year, Volkswagen made an announcement that shocked many of us. The Golf GTD, a GTI with a diesel was slated to come to the U.S. within the next couple years. But news coming out of New York may dash those dreams many of us had. Volkswagen of America's CEO, Michael Horn told reporters that the 2.0L turbodiesel engine used in the GTD cannot be built at company's engine plant in Silao, Mexico, and that the engine would have to be imported from Germany, rasing the cost. “The GTD would be a great car,” said Horn, but with that added cost, “the price point is not really attractive. So the probability is sort of diminishing.” Horn didn't say why the engine couldn't be bu…

Audi Promises New Models Will Be Put On A Diet William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com September 21, 2011 There is a problem in the automotive industry named fatititus. Essentially cars are getting heavier and heavier due to all equipment that are put into vehicles. But with new fuel standards coming, automakers realize they need to cut the weight out. One automaker, Audi has made the ambitious announcement that every next generation Audi will be lighter than the model it replaces. Speaking with Car & Driver, Audi’s global marketing chief Peter Schwarzenbauer said the next generation Q7 SUV will lose 700 lbs. How will it be done? Using m…

Volkswagen's Canadian site has dropped a teaser for the upcoming 2019 Jetta. The single gif reveals a couple of details about the design. One is that the side profile features some sculpting and a character line that possibly runs the whole length of the vehicle. Second is the Jetta's grille is similar to the T-Roc crossover with a pentagonal design. Last month, Volkswagen North America CEO Hinrich Woebcken told journalists that the next-generation Jetta "would have coupe-like form and promises to be "great-looking"." We can't see the coupe-like form in this teaser. At least we won't be waiting too long for the reveal. Volkswagen will show off the 2019 Jetta nex…

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 19, 2013 Within the past three years, Audi has shown two different quattro concepts. At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, there was the quattro Concept. Then at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi pulled the covers off the Sport quattro concept. Speaking with Auto Express, Audi's head of design Wolfgang Egger says that the quattro could reach production, but the decision of which one to use is being debated. "With every design concept we do we are thinking about everything becoming reality.” said Egger. “We have done one (designed for MQB platform (quattro concept)) and now we have done the other (on larger MLB pl…

Volkswagen is making some big changes for the future. In a statement released today, the company announced that it would cut 1 Billion Euros (about $1.1 billion) in investments. The statement didn't say would be part of the cuts. Volkswagen also announced that it would be fitting diesel models sold in Europe and U.S. with SCR and AdBlue technology 'as soon as possible'. Further down in the statement, Volkswagen announced that it would put more of a focus on battery and plug-in powertrains for its MQB architecture (what underpins the Golf and the upcoming Tiguan. Along with this, the company is working on a new modular electric “toolkit” that could deliver around 1…

Mark VI Golf at Autoblog The New Golf. From Volkswagen. The New Mk VI Golf at VWVortex Enjoy! So in a way the Scirocco was a preview of the styling of the next Golf in my mind's eye. I don't really care for the way this looks the way I liked the Mk IV and V when I saw them. Perhaps I will warm to its appearance, but not yet. I bet the press release at VWVortex will sway me! This looks tackier or something. I dislike the way the tailamps' outer edges distort the cutline of that oh-so-distinctive-and-so-very Golf C-Pillar.

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com October 3, 2012 Volkswagen made some big announcements today concerning a new model that will be premiering at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show and pricing for another model. We'll start with the new model first. Volkswagen revealed the new Beetle convertible a month ahead of its official unveiling at the L.A. Auto Show. The soft-top has a similar roofline to the normal Beetle when its up. Want to put the top down, it will only take about ten seconds. Also, Volkswagen engineered a system that will pop two computer-actuated bars behind the rear seat within four milliseconds in the event of a rollover. The engine lineup…

For a number of years, people have been saying the biggest problem with Volkswagen is they haven't “figured out the American market yet.” Even the automaker admits that it's the reason that its market share has dropped. Volkswagen has tried again and again to make some inroads into the market to no avail. But the German automaker is giving it another go. Automotive News had the chance to do a deep dive into Volkswagen's new plan by speaking with Volkswagen Group of America CEO Hinrich Woebcken. His plan involves turning this division into an American car company - in spirit. It should be noted that Woebcken came to the U.S. as an exchange student in the seventies, so…

In light of a scandal, the one item a company needs is stability. Unfortunately for Volkswagen, the diesel emission scandal has seemed to bring growing levels of instability. Case in point is the announcement of Dr. Winfried Vahland stepping down. Vahland was picked to become the head of Volkswagen's North American unit only a few weeks back. In a statement released by the automaker, the two had "differing views" on the company's new structure and his departure is "expressly not related" to the emissions scandal. Meanwhile, a report from German publication Spiegel says that at least 30 managers at Volkswagen were involved in cheating emission tests citing informat…

Audi announced this afternoon that the 3.0L TDI V6 did have a defeat device that allowed the engine to circumvent U.S. clean air laws. In a statement, the German automaker said that it failed to disclose three emission control software functions, also known as auxiliary emissions control devices (AECD) to the various agencies as required by law. One of devices, a 'temperature conditioning of the exhaust‑gas cleaning system' was deemed to be illegal by the EPA as it could detect when it was being tested for emissions and turn on the pollution-control equipment to cut emission levels down. Audi also announced the plan to fix the vehicles that will involve a software…

New Volkswagen Scirocco I still think its sort of ugly overall, but it is growing on me, especially in that crazy blue colour. I think the VW badge should sit on the nose rather than hood. I do believe that would take care of my main issue.

Audi has revealed some teaser images for an electric crossover concept that will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Called the e-tron Quattro, the images show a vehicle having an upright grille, paired with sloping roofline and a tapering rear end. The overall shape of the concept has drag rating of 0.25 cd, the same rating as a Toyota Prius. Power will come from three electric motors - one on the front axle and two on the rear axles. A lithium-ion battery pack sits underneath the passenger compartment. Audi isn't saying how much power the electric motors produce but did say overall range will be over 310 miles. Now this concept is a preview to a produc…

Link is here. Thoughts? Personally, I kinda like it, but it's the answer to a question no one asked... kinda like the CLS it's supposed to compete against.

With Volkswagen buying back a large chunk of the 2.0L TDIs involved the diesel emission scandal, the question arises of where to store them. The answer according to the German automaker is they are storing them at "regional facilities." One of those regional facilities is the parking lot of the Pontiac Silverdome - former home to the Detroit Lions - in Pontiac, MI. However, the vehicles stored there find themselves in a bit of legal trouble. The Oakland Press reports that the City of Pontiac has filed a lawsuit against the owners of Silverdome, the Triple Investment Group for numerous violations in zoning, safety, and a municipal code dealing with the storage of vehi…