Germans have had a long, lusty love affair with diesels. While motorists in some parts of the world have largely ignored diesel vehicles (looking at you, America), in Germany, consumers have snapped them up as quickly as homegrown companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz could turn them out. But not...Read More»
Here's the good news: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a new version of the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze earns an estimated 52 mpg on the highway. Chevy notes that that's the best fuel economy Americans can buy without shelling out for a hybrid or electric car. And now, the bad news: The...Read More»
Last week, news broke that Volkswagen had submitted plans to repair most of its illegally engineered diesels in Europe. Now, reports have emerged that indicate the automaker will begin those repairs on its home turf. Germany's Die Welt says that around 2.5 million vehicles from model years 2009 to...Read More»
Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal grows more trainwreck-y with every passing day. The company's financial problems are mounting, and may mount much, much further. And so, Volkswagen appears to have come up with a plan to stanch the loss of money and customers -- a plan straight out of the Oprah...Read More»
Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency accused Volkswagen of installing emissions-test-cheating software on a new range of vehicles from VW, Audi, and Porsche. Those brands have now pulled suspect vehicles from showrooms until additional testing sheds light on the allegations. But...Read More»
We're one month into the Dieselgate fiasco, and there's no relief in sight for Volkswagen owners. In fact, as more of the automaker's offices are raided and plundered by investigators, we wouldn't be surprised to see new and unpleasant revelations come to light. Among those bombshells could be an...Read More»
When you think of eco-friendly car companies, you may not immediately think of Volkswagen. But that could change if policies proposed by the new Volkswagen Brand Board of Management come to fruition. QUESTIONABLE HISTORY Volkswagen's less-than-green image isn't just because of the ongoing...Read More»
Volkswagen's slowly unfolding diesel emissions scandal is many things to many people: To the public, it's a page-turning whodunnit of deception. To regulators, it's a wake-up call and a kick in the pants. To lawyers, it's a guaranteed source of future income. To the Environmental Protection Agency...Read More»
This morning, Reuters reports that Volkswagen plans to issue a worldwide recall for all 11 million diesel vehicles equipped with software designed to cheat on emissions tests. That in itself isn't too surprising. For a problem this big, a deception this egregious, VW would be expected to repair the...Read More»
After a week of being in the headlines deceiving the federal government and the public over its TDI "clean diesel" vehicles, Volkswagen has rolled out a new consumer-facing website that aims to answer some common questions and do some damage control in the wake of the widening scandal. Although if...Read More»
To say that this has been a bad week for Volkswagen would be like saying that John Boehner's resignation this morning was a little surprising, or that Kim Kardashian likes a bit of attention now and then. What began last Friday as a handful of accusations from the Environmental Protection Agency...Read More»
The "dieselgate" scandal at Volkswagen continues to widen, and based on what we've seen at other companies in crisis, things are going to get a whole lot worse for VW before they get better. Things could also get worse at other car companies. In the classic tradition of one cheater ruining things...Read More»
The U.S. can be confusing to Europeans. They don't understand our versions of football or coffee, and please don't get them started on our waistlines. (After an eye-opening trip to a certain big-box store, a French visitor once said to me, "Yes, of course we have fat people, but they do not go...Read More»
If you have long-distance commuting needs, tend to do a lot of highway trips, or have towing needs, chances are a diesel vehicle would be a very good fit for your household. And after a dearth of diesels earlier this decade, there are now at last plenty of choices on the market—especially if...Read More»
Jaguar and Land Rover are together poised for quite the growth spurt. Both brands have been closely entwined since 2008, when they were sold by Ford Motor Co. to India’s Tata Motors, and given the opportunity to broaden their future portfolios with some significant investment in product...Read More»
Last week, we told you about a new study commissioned by Audi, which proves that consumers want to see more diesel vehicles in U.S. showrooms. That struck us as awfully convenient, since Audi has been trying for years to persuade Americans that diesels provide the improved fuel economy and reduced...Read More»
By most accounts, the conventional gasoline engine's days are numbered. Long before electric cars become commonplace, automakers expect to wean themselves off gas-powered powerplants, replacing them with fuel-efficient alternatives. On Monday, Ford's Joe Bakaj told Detroit News that the time is...Read More»
In the U.S., the Toyota Prius is the undeniable champ among hybrids. It’s become an icon for the green-car movement, as well as a car that makes a lot of sense for those who stick mostly to city stop-and-go commuting and want to minimize their use of fossil fuels. But for those who commute...Read More»
Diesel vehicles have always had their fans; but in recent years, new-generation clean-diesel models have elevated the technology above that crowd. For the most part, the overbearing diesel clatter is gone; so is the exhaust soot and odor. And diesels simply make a good sense for Americans, who...Read More»
