Germany

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»

In Germany, 2.6 million consumers bought diesel vehicles that were secretly equipped with Volkswagen's defeat devices. Those devices allow vehicles to cheat on emissions tests and may be responsible for 1,200 or more premature deaths across Europe. And yet, unlike the 560,000 owners of similarly...Read More»

Yesterday, we learned that French authorities are planning to investigate allegations of emissions fraud involving diesels made by Fiat Chrysler, Volkswagen, Renault, and PSA Group. Now we've learned that Daimler diesels are also the subject of a probe--this one conducted by German officials. That...Read More»

The ongoing scandal known as Dieselgate appears be winding down in the U.S.--at least as far as the federal government is concerned. In Germany, however, things look to be getting worse, not better, for Europe's biggest automaker, and that could mean renewed troubles for Volkswagen on this side of...Read More»

The ongoing Dieselgate crisis has been a major headache for Volkswagen employees, investors, vehicle owners, dealers, and diesel fans for nearly a year and a half. Though the scandal appears to be winding down--at least in the U.S.--a new study suggests that Volkswagen's troubles could be far from...Read More»

Earlier this month, we told you about the German owner of a VW Eos who had sued Volkswagen over the company's Dieselgate lies in the hope of having VW buy back the car. That case is still working its way through the courts, so far as we know, but a similar one has just been decided by three judges...Read More»

Back in June, some 480,000 American owners of illegally equipped 2.0-liter Audi and VW diesels learned that they'd be receiving a fairly significant payout from Volkswagen. After months of negotiations, the automaker finally agreed to fix the cars in question or buy them back, and it also said that...Read More»

Tesla is under fire again for its semi-autonomous Autopilot software, and once again, the critics are German regulators. This go-round, officials want the automaker to stop using the term "Autopilot" because they feel that it can mislead consumers into thinking that Teslas can drive themselves...Read More»

Over the summer, a series of headlines forecast the imminent demise of gas and diesel vehicles in Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany. Now, Germany has taken the additional step of calling for a ban on petroleum-powered vehicles across the entire European Union. The country's Bundesrat...Read More»

In the year since Tesla Autopilot debuted, it's acquired plenty of fans and foes. In the former column, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, hackers, and this guy. In the latter, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Transportation Safety Board, and Germany. Germany's Federal Highway Research...Read More»

If you live in Europe and own a vehicle that's been affected by the Volkswagen diesel scandal, we have good news to share in our quasi-weekly roundup of Dieselgate news. If, on the other hand, you actually work for Volkswagen...well, maybe you should grab another cup of coffee first. 1. Germany...Read More»

Volkswagen continues its efforts to leave the global Dieselgate scandal behind. Will the company's long, slow slog turn into a death march, or will it end in a victory parade? Check out these recent headlines, and judge for yourselves: 1. VW sales sink even further, but other brands keep rising: No...Read More»

It's a gloomy day across much of Europe, with markets in turmoil after UK residents voted to "Brexit" the EU. Volkswagen isn't doing much to improve matters: thanks to its ongoing Dieselgate scandal, the company is poised to make a massive payout to the U.S. (and its diesel owners), one employee is...Read More»

Last week, we told you about plans to end the sale of gas and diesel vehicles in Norway and the Netherlands by the year 2025. Could Germany follow suit? At least one government official hopes so, and he'd like to see it happen by 2030. That official is Deputy Economy Minister Rainer Baake. Speaking...Read More»

There's good news and bad news on the Volkswagen Dieselgate front. The good news is, Volkswagen and U.S. regulators appear closer than ever to reaching a deal that could finally result in emissions test-cheating diesels being fixed or bought back by the automaker. The bad news? Volkswagen still has...Read More»

There's been a lot of news about Volkswagen's ongoing Dieselgate crisis the past few days. Join us as we pour ourselves a bowl of muesli, drown it in pilsener, and recap the top stories: 1. Volkswagen may compensate struggling dealers: VW's U.S. sales have been slow for many years, but they...Read More»

The rumors began to circulate in February 2015: Apple is building an electric car. Since then, numerous signs have suggested that the rumor is true, and Apple has done nothing to disabuse anyone of the idea. Until recently, all indications were that the mysterious car would be developed in...Read More»

Germans have a reputation for being on-time, and this week, Volkswagen will have a chance to prove (or disprove) that stereotype in a very big way. A federal judge has given the automaker until Thursday to submit plans for fixing 482,000 Audi and VW 2.0-liter diesels equipped with defeat devices...Read More»