VW Board vs ex-CEO Piech: rancor erupts over diesel cheating lies

Ferdinand Piech, chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group, at 2000 Paris Motor ShowStatements 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...

VW settles diesel cheating cases: felony pleas, $4.3 billion fines

2014 Volkswagen Passat TDILast 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...

5 more VW diesel execs indicted, including R&D head, after weekend arrest

HandcuffsOn 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 scandal that erupted in September 2015. Over the...

VW executive arrested by FBI on diesel emission conspiracy charges

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDIThe 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 diesel emission scandal erupted in September 2015 when...

Electric cars lead to carmaker job cuts: new flashpoint?

Volkswagen plantIt 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 electric cars pose a new threat: they will require even...

Porsche too said to use ‘defeat device’ software for gasoline cars

2017 Porsche 911 Carrera 4SIt'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...

German government worries carmakers vulnerable to electric-car onslaught

2017 BMW i3Many governments across the globe have enacted stricter emissions standards to curb air pollution and greenhouse gases; others plan to do so. Some have also drafted incentives and other policies to promote zero-emission vehicles, especially electric cars, to encourage the market and help achieve these emissions reductions. Germany's government...

VW plans to build electric cars somewhere in N America after 2020

Volkswagen I.D. electric car concept, 2016 Paris auto showAs it works toward moving past its diesel-emissions scandal, the Volkswagen Group is making ambitious plans for electric cars. By 2025, the company hopes to be selling 1 million electric cars per year, and it has said it will launch 30 different electric models across multiple brands in the coming years. Now VW says some of those cars may be built...

Emissions collusion between VW and German agency runs deep: magazine

Volkswagen TDI 'clean diesel' television ad screencapAs 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 no signs of abating. The updates to...

Electric cars will require 10,000-plus job cuts at VW, says HR chief

Volkswagen I.D. electric car concept, 2016 Paris auto showAs it works to pull itself out of the quagmire of the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal, VW Group has ambitious plans to add more electric cars to its lineup. Right now, the only electric car Volkswagen sells in multiple regions under its own brand its the e-Golf, an all-electric variant of the popular hatchback. But the company plans to launch 30...

Buybacks coming for Audi Q7 TDI diesel SUVs: German report

2013 Audi Q7 TDI S LineThe Volkswagen diesel settlement approved by a federal judge earlier this week does not address all of the company's cars fitted with illegal "defeat device" software. It covers only VW and Audi TDI models with 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines, sold in the U.S. from model years 2009 through 2015. It's good news for the 475,000 owners of those...

Could future VW Beetle return to rear (electric) powertrain?

2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2-door DSG 2.0T R-Line S GrilleAs any experienced journalist knows, you hear lots of good stuff in the corridors and private conversations of any large industry event where media are present. That applies to auto shows too. Which is how we came to hear an intriguing rumor about the possible production direction of the next-generation Volkswagen Beetle. DON'T MISS: VW ID: more...