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Volkswagen chokes on its first loss in 15 years
After inventing a diesel engine that doesn't emit any harmful gases into the atmosphere, you'd think that VW would never run out of money ever again. Despite this, the German auto maker has just posted a quarterly loss of €3.48 billion ($3.84 billion) which, if we're honest, makes very little sense. After all, the financial documents reveal that the firm was making a pile of money up until September, and then everything drops off a cliff. The only thing that makes sense is if something totally implausible took place, like discovering that the firm was using software in a global system of emissions fraud. But, if we're honest, nobody in their right mind would attempt something so irresponsible as that, would they.
Volkswagen's emissions scandal might affect even more cars
And further down the rabbit hole we go. On top of the 11 million cars already found to be cheating on diesel emissions tests, Volkswagen has also announced that it's investigating to see if other diesel cars have similar software tweaks, the New York Times reports. Specifically, it's looking into cars with its EA 288 diesel motor. All of the cars already affected, including VW's Passat, Jetta and Golf lines, are running a separate EA 189 motor line. The news follows a Reuters report from earlier in the week which claimed the car maker actually had several different emissions cheating solutions. That would make sense if it wanted to cover several different engine types. VW has recalled all of the cars affected by the scandal so far -- some can be fixed with a mere software update, while others might require mechanical tweaks. The company has also said it might compensate its customers for the fall in value of their cars following the scandal, though it won't be offering full refunds.
Volkswagen had 'several' emissions cheating devices
Those suspicions that Volkswagen cooked up more than one defeat device to cheat on emissions tests? They may be well-founded. Reuters tipsters claim that the car maker produced "several versions" of the gadget to suit different diesel engines. VW isn't confirming anything (it's still in the midst of an internal investigation), although it makes sense. The company has had different variants of TDI engines over the years, and different regional emissions standards would have required at least modified software.
Car makers are worried tougher emission tests will kill diesel sales
If you guessed that the ever-expanding Volkswagen diesel scandal would make other automakers nervous... you guessed well. In a statement, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) worries that regulators will demand overly strict emissions tests and standards. Extra-tough requirements would supposedly make some diesel-based vehicles (which are popular in Europe) "effectively unaffordable," leaving vendors with no choice but to axe those models. The industry is in favor of better tests, the ACEA insists -- it just wants more "realistic" goals.
VW's 2016 diesels have a different device that may dupe emissions tests
Just when you thought the Volkswagen emissions scandal couldn't get any worse, it might do just that. The automaker revealed to US regulators last week that its 2016 diesel models may have a different device that could help those vehicles earn higher marks on the government's emissions tests. The tech in question is "auxiliary emissions control device" separate from the software on automobiles made between 2009-2015 that was first disclosed last month. This new software heats the pollution control catalyst quicker, boosting the performance of the components responsible for separating harmful nitrogen dioxide into nitrogen and oxygen.[Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images]
Volkswagen may give money to owners of emissions-cheating cars
If you're one of the 11 million owners of a Volkswagen car that's part of the company's huge emissions cheating scandal, you might be getting some compensation for the vehicle's lost value. As reported by ABC News, Volkswagen US CEO Michael Horn (pictured above) testified today in front of a congressional subcommittee and said that the company might pay the owners of affected cars as a way to make up for the fact that resale value for those vehicles (and indeed pretty much any VW out there) is going to drop. However, Horn said that Volkswagen wouldn't be refunding customers money. The company also isn't planning to provide loaner cars for owners, as the affected vehicles are still safe to drive (even though they're releasing up to 40 times more than the EPA's acceptable standard).
Volkswagen's US head knew of possible emissions trouble in 2014
It's no longer a secret that Volkswagen's management was aware of the company's shady diesel emissions practices. Now, however, it's evident that this awareness included some of the car maker's top brass. American group CEO Michael Horn states that he was told of a "possible emissions non-compliance" in spring 2014, or significantly earlier than US execs had hinted at so far. Staff had supposedly told him that engineers would work with the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the problem. Clearly, that didn't happen before word of the scandal got out.
Volkswagen will recall its super-polluting cars in 2016
Matthias Mueller, the man that Volkswagen hopes will save the company after Emissions-gate, has revealed the first stage in his rescue plan. According to Reuters, the executive told German media that the firm will begin recalling its emissions-cheating vehicles in January, with the program running until the end of 2016. Mueller is quoted as saying that the vehicles will all be "fixed" by that date, implying that the company has found a safe way to reduce their emissions levels. In addition, Mueller has revealed that he's using the crisis as justification to conduct a top-down reorganization of the German car conglomerate. The chief has pledged to make his company smaller and less centralized, adding that each of its various divisions will have to justify their contribution to the overall firm. Which, if we're honest, sounds ominous in the extreme.[Image Credit: AFP/Getty]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: the Model X and man-made islands
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. After three years of anticipation Tesla just launched its latest electric car. The company says the Model X is the world's safest SUV; it can go from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds; and it comes with a "bioweapon defense mode" in case of... well, the apocalypse. Meanwhile the Volkswagen emissions scandal continues to develop, and this past week, we asked just how many people have died due to pollution emitted by affected vehicles. Perhaps the worst part is that Volkswagen may actually avoid criminal charges due to a loophole in the Clean Air Act.
Volkswagen says 1.2 million UK cars involved in emissions scandal
After confirming that it will spend more than 6.5 billion euros (£4.8 billion) to fix the 11 million vehicles affected by its diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen has come clean over how many of those are in the UK. The company says a total of 1,189,906 British cars with EA 189 EU5 engines will be recalled in the coming weeks and is in the process of contacting affected customers about what they need to do. It also plans to create a "self-serve process" for owners to check if their car is impacted by the issue, but notes that all of its vehicles are "technically safe and roadworthy" in the meantime.
Volkswagen will fix emissions test-cheating cars ... somehow
Volkswagen is gearing up to fix the cars affected by its diesel emissions cheating scandal -- though the specifics are still up in the air. The company's new CEO, Matthias Mueller, told employees that it'll be reaching out to customers in the next few days about getting their diesel cars retrofitted, Reuters reports. However, it's still unclear how, exactly, VW is going to update those cars. It'll most likely be some sort of software-related fix, since it got into hot water over software that was programmed to misrepresent diesel emissions when cars were being tested. We can expect regulators to scrutinize VW's solution to make sure it's actually solving the problem. It'll also likely affect the mileage and performance of the company's cars, which so far have been some of VW's main selling points. Volkswagen is prepared to spend up to $7.3 billion to clean up the mess, which is getting worse the more we learn (it apparently knew about the test cheating years ago, for one).
Volkswagen knew about shady emissions practices years ago
Volkswagen's recently departed CEO may have been caught off-guard by his company's attempt to hide true diesel car emissions from regulators, but there are now signs that some VW higher-ups knew the truth. German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagzeitung claims that technicians had warned about dodgy emissions practices in 2011, while Bild maintains that key supplier Bosch told "top circles" at VW about its emissions concerns back in 2007. It's not clear just who knew about the issues and where the buck stops -- VW is declining to comment, which isn't surprising when it's still in the midst of an investigation into what happened.
The EPA is cracking down hard on auto industry shenanigans
The smogging scandal that has enveloped Volkswagen has also left the Environmental Protection Agency with something of a black eye. So even though the EPA failed to catch on to VW's games this time, the agency is damn sure not about to let it happen again. Like, ever. "The Volkswagen violations before us now make it clear, we need to adapt and step up our oversight," Janet McCabe, acting administrator in the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, said during a press conference.
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns amid emissions scandal
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn announced his resignation on Wednesday, following a tumultuous week for the company. On September 18th, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered Volkswagen to recall 500,000 of its diesel passenger cars because they included software that hid the vehicles' true emissions output from regulators. "I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group," Winterkorn said in a statement obtained by CNBC. Winterkorn denied any wrongdoing on his own part, but he accepted "responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines."
Volkswagen thinks emissions scandal could cost it $7.3 billion
After admitting it had altered software to misreport the emissions of its diesel cars, Volkswagen is allocating some serious money to help it save face. The company said today it's set aside a whopping 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to "cover the necessary service measures and other efforts to win back the trust of our customers." The US Environmental Protection Agency had previously found that the carmaker was utilizing a "defeat device" (software tricks) that would detect when a car was being tested and enable its full emissions control systems. However, once returned to normal mode, a confirmed 11 million Volkswagen and Audi models sold from 2009 emit high levels of nitrogen oxide, which aids air pollution and can cause respiratory issues.
Volkswagen to recall about 500,000 cars over sneaky software
Volkswagen has been told to recall about half a million of its diesel passenger cars. The German automaker ran into trouble with the Obama administration for allegedly installing a sneaky software that's designed to disguise the cars' pollutants during Environmental Protection Agency's stringent emissions testing. The agency caught the violation and went after the carmaker for employing the "defeat device" -- a system that's programmed to know when the car's being tested so it automatically turns on its full emissions control systems. Post-testing It then goes back to normal mode, where those controls are switched off, during everyday driving circumstances.
ICYMI: User-generated Golf ads, motocross bionics and machine gun traps
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-704892{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-704892, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-704892{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-704892").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It, Volkswagen releases a new commercial for its Golf R that changes depending on what sound effects the viewer makes. We also take a look at a bionic knee from "Monster" Mike Schultz designed for Moto-crossing lower-leg amputees. The Mythbusters find out if Walter White's machine gun trap could actually work (hint: omfg, does it ever) and a Parakeet learns to speak droid because Star Wars just won't go away. If you come across any interesting videos, we'd love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd. And if you just want to heap praise on your handsome guest host, feel free to hit him up @mr_trout.
ICYMI: Google's face-policing API, Rage Rooms and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-380801{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-380801, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-380801{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-380801").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Google's new API for Android applications comes with face detection that can tell if you're smiling or not. Then there's the trend in Rage Rooms that looks like too much fun to keep to ourselves. And a hoax of an amazing prototype: A supposed adoption of Volkswagen technology birthed a stroller to follow you around, using collision sensors to avoid people or objects. This thing should really exist in some form, yes?
Researchers find popular car immobilizer can easily be hacked
Immobilizers are supposed to kill a vehicle's engine to prevent it from being stolen. However, a trio of researchers recently released a study that reveals the Megamos immobilizer system used by more than two dozen car manufacturers -- including Volkswagen, Porsche and Honda -- can be cracked with "trivial" effort. They would have revealed this glaring encryption flaw two years ago, when they completed the study, except that Volkswagen and European defense contractor Thales sued them to prevent its publication.
Most 2016 Volkswagen cars can avoid crashes and talk to your phone
You normally have to spring for higher-end cars to get semi-autonomous features that could save your hide, but Volkswagen is aiming to make them relatively commonplace. The automaker has started shipping its 2016 model line, and most of it will at least make crash avoidance features an option, if not include it as a matter of course. The majority of Golf, Jetta and Touareg models will have the choice of smart cruise control and emergency braking technology that could keep you out of an accident even if you can't react in time; they're standard on Executive trim levels for the CC and Touareg. You'll also find a lane departure system on the CC, Golf, and Touareg, and parking assistance on the Golf.
