by Yann Schreiber Agence France Presse The new chief of German auto giant Volkswagen was Friday set to outline his plans for steering the company out of the cloud of the “dieselgate” scandal and into a future of electric cars and “sustainable mobility.” Herbert Diess — the Austrian 59-year-old head of the VW Group’s flagship Volkswagen brand — was appointed late Thursday to take over from Matthias Mueller as CEO of the world’s largest automaker […]
Tag: Volkswagen
German carmakers under fire for tests on humans, monkeys
by Michelle FITZPATRICK Agence France-Presse FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — German carmakers came under fire Monday following revelations they helped finance experiments that saw humans and monkeys exposed to diesel fumes that have been linked to asthma, lung diseases and heart attacks. The disclosures sparked widespread outrage, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel who strongly condemned the latest controversy to engulf the nation’s powerful but scandal-tainted auto industry. “These tests on monkeys or even humans […]
Volkswagen clinches record sales in 2017
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s Volkswagen said Wednesday it sold a record number of vehicles in 2017, putting it on track to hold on to the title of world’s largest carmaker two years after its “dieselgate” emissions scandal. Some 10.74 million vehicles from VW or its subsidiaries ranging from Porsche and Audi to Skoda and Seat rolled out of dealerships last year — an increase of 4.3 percent over the previous year, the […]
Volkswagen reports record global car sales in 2017
DETROIT, United States (AFP) — Volkswagen said Sunday that its namesake brand sold more vehicles worldwide in 2017 than ever before, a sign it is recovering from a bruising emissions-cheating scandal three years ago. “We finished 2017 with the best performance ever for Volkswagen,” Herbert Diess, chairman of the board of management of the Volkswagen passenger cars brand, said Sunday night at the Detroit Auto Show. Global sales rose 4.2 percent to 6.2 million, with […]
VW to build autonomous cars with Silicon Valley firm
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — The world’s largest carmaker Volkswagen said Thursday it would work with Silicon Valley firm Aurora to create self-driving cars, hoping to deploy fleets of autonomous taxis to city streets by 2021. “With Aurora, VW gains access to an experienced and globally leading development team in software and hardware for driverless vehicles,” the Wolfsburg-based group said in a statement. Founded by former autonomous driving chiefs from Google, Tesla and Uber, […]
Automakers look to the future in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Car manufacturers’ attempts to square what U.S. consumers want against the clean vehicles regulators and investors demand will go on display in Los Angeles this week at an auto show that has moved away from calling itself just an auto show. Automakers on Wednesday previewed new models for the media at an event called AutoMobility LA, reflecting an emphasis on digital technology and new ways to get around, such as […]
Volkswagen heats up electric cars race with $40 billion spend
(Reuters) — 40-billion-dollars is roughly the size of Jordan’s GDP. And that’s also the amount of cash Volkswagen is going to splash in the next 5 years to gain ground in the electric and driverless car race. “We are seeing the first successes of this strategy. Volkswagen is in robust health. This is, above all, the result of great teamwork.” Volkswagen Chairman, Hans Dieter Poetsch, said. Competition in the sector is strong and VW has […]
Volkswagen announces $650 million investment in Argentina plant
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — German automaker Volkswagen on Friday announced a plan to invest $650 million in an Argentina plant where it will manufacture a new sport-utility vehicle, according to a statement released by the government. Business-friendly President Mauricio Macri, who ushered Argentina out of recession in 2016, has encouraged foreign investment especially after his center-right coalition’s wins in last month’s midterm elections. Production of the SUV is anticipated to begin in 2020. In a televised […]
Five things to see at the Tokyo Motor Show
by Hiroshi Hiyama Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — From a car that wants to be your friend to another that burns off the fat: here are five hot vehicles on display at the Tokyo Motor Show. The biennial event opens for a media preview on Wednesday, before throwing its doors open to the public until November 5. The event will feature concept vehicles from top Japanese manufacturers, as well as fresh offerings from major […]
UAE introduces driverless car in collaboration with VW
DUBAI, UAE (Reuters) — The Dubai Land Department has showed off a driverless car developed with Volkswagen at the much visited Cityscape Global exhibition. Dubai has already stated its intention to become one of the world’s smartest and most sustainable cities and the VW prototype car could help its ambitions. Although still just a concept, the driverless car, named ‘Sedric’ (self-driving car) by VW, will be sustainable and safe, convenient and easy to use, using […]
Volkswagen to electrify entire range by 2030
(AFP) — German carmaker Volkswagen doubled down Monday on efforts to clean up its image tarnished by the dieselgate scandal, vowing ahead of the IAA auto industry show to electrify its entire range by 2030. By the end of next decade, VW vows to offer “at least one electrified version of each of the 300 or so group models”, the firm said in a statement. The Wolfsburg-based group owns a stable of 12 brands ranging […]
VW recalling 281,000 vehicles due to defect
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States branch of embattled German carmaker Volkswagen announced Tuesday it was recalling 281,000 vehicles to fix a faulty fuel pump in another blow to the company’s image. While the number is far smaller than the 11 million cars worldwide recalled in the “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal, including about 600,000 vehicles in the US, news of another problem comes as the company is trying to restore its image with […]





