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If your family needs a second car, make it a fun, compact EV
Earlier this month, Volkswagen began production of the ID.3. It's a small, electric four-door hatchback with three different battery sizes, meant for a variety of driving lifestyles. The interior feels like the future, and if it drives anything like the E-Golf, it's going to be great. Except it's not coming to the United States.
Volkswagen begins pre-production of its ID.3 EV in China
Just days after Volkswagen showed off the first all-electric ID.3 produced at its Zwickau plant in Germany, the company announced that it has entered pre-production in China, too. Like the Zwickau factory, the new plant in Anti, Shanghai, will produce all-electric vehicles on Volkswagen's MEB platform, a modular design that's built for battery packs of varying sizes.
Volkswagen's ID Space Vizzion is an electrified station wagon
Volkswagen is hoping to sell 10 million EVs based on its modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform across all its brands, and one of the models that's going to help make that a reality is an electric station wagon. The automaker has revealed the ID Space Vizzion model, which it calls "the wagon of tomorrow." VW says the model combines the aerodynamic characteristics of a Gran Turismo car with the spaciousness of an SUV and will have a range of 300 miles. It will also have a digitized cockpit and use sustainable raw materials, like artificial leather made out of residual matter from apple juice production.
Volkswagen’s attempt at a bold, cleaner future starts with the ID.3
With much pomp and circumstance, the first all-electric ID.3 produced at Volkswagen's Zwickau plant rolled down a hall of flashing lights and pulsating music. A badge on the fender signifies it's one of the "1st" of a 35,000 run of vehicles pre-ordered by early adopters. The ID.3 is more than a new vehicle, it's a sea change at one of the largest automakers in the world.
VW's self-driving car group will have offices in Silicon Valley and China
Volkswagen hasn't been as active or vocal about autonomous driving as some of its competitors. The company has focused much of its recent attention on electric vehicle offerings, but that seems to be changing. Today, VW announced the creation of an autonomous driving subsidiary called Volkswagen Autonomy, or VWAT. The new company already has offices in Munich and Wolfsburg, Germany, but will expand to Silicon Valley and China in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
VW's Electrify America starts selling its first home EV charger
Electrify America isn't focused solely on public charging stations. The VW outfit is now offering its first home unit, the simply titled Electric Vehicle Home Charger, on Amazon. The $499 box provides Level 2 charging at up to 7.6kW for "all" EVs sold in North America, or about 25 miles per hour depending on the car. That's not going to make you skip Electrify's own 150kW or 350kW chargers. It should, however, ensure that your car is topped up before you leave for work in the morning.
Volkswagen's CEO and chairman face Dieselgate charges in Germany
VW's current leadership can't escape the fallout from the Dieselgate scandal. Prosecutors in the German city of Braunschweig have unveiled plans to file stock manipulation charges against existing CEO Herbert Diess, Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch and former chief exec Martin Winterkorn. They allegedly delayed reporting the emissions cheating with knowledge that it would have a tangible effect on shares. The leaders were pursuing a settlement with US officials "without disclosing all relevant information," according to the prosecutors.
Inside Volkswagen's all-electric ID.3
While the exterior of a car is important (no one wants to drive an ugly car), the interior is where you spend most of your time. While the powertrain (electric) and design (a smoother Golf) of the ID.3 are what people initially think of when they see the car, that brand new infotainment system and layout are worth a look. So I went and looked at it.
Volkswagen teases the ID.3's larger EV sibling
The automotive world loves a splashy debut. Lights, loud music, flashy presentations and sometimes there's a special guest. The ID.3 got that treatment as it was finally freed from its camouflage. But the first public appearance of the ID.4 SUV has become the Easter egg of the Frankfurt Auto Show.
Opel's Corsa-e is an alternative to VW's ID.3 EV
Not one to let fellow German automaker Volkswagen steal the spotlight, Opel took to the IAA Frankfurt International Motor Show to announce its first EV, the Corsa-e. We've known about the existence of this vehicle since May, but on Tuesday the automaker finally detailed what consumers can expect from the Corsa-e.
Volkswagen takes the wraps off the production-ready ID.3 EV
After announcing the MEB modular electric-car platform at CES in 2016 on the heels of Dieselgate, the automaker went on a tear announcing a microbus, dune buggy, crossovers and other vehicle types that would run on electrons instead of gasoline. Finally, we're seeing the first production vehicle that'll be part of the automaker's future.
DOJ launches probe of automakers that agreed to California emissions rules
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an antitrust investigation into BMW, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen, the four automakers that came to a voluntary agreement with California to follow stricter fuel efficiency standards. After The Wall Street Journal broke the news, Ford and Honda confirmed they plan to cooperate with the investigation.
Behind the wheel of VW’s electric dune buggy prototype
Pebble Beach seems a bit too fancy for a dune buggy. But as I slowly roll down 17 Mile road behind the wheel of Volkswagen's latest electric concept car while trailing supercars, priceless vintage vehicles and RVs, folks alongside the road are taking photos and waving at me. Whether you're in this vehicle or watching it from afar, the ID Buggy puts a smile on your face.
VW's electric ID.R racer smashed a Nürburgring efficiency record
VW's ID.R wasn't just running laps around the Nürburgring in June to set electric performance records. The automaker has confirmed that the EV also set an efficiency record while blasting through the Nordschliefe, using 24.7kWh to complete a lap in 6 minutes and 5.34 seconds. The car was not only faster around the circuit than a Porsche 911 GT3, according to VW, but used a quarter of the energy. While that's not a figure you'd brag about to your fellow car enthusiasts, it could make a compelling case for EV racing going forward.
VW inadvertently offers a peek at the interior of its ID.3 EV
So much for VW keeping a tight lid on the ID.3's finished design. Auto Conspiracy and others have obtained a promo video for the electric hatchback's interior, showing an appropriately very connected machine. The early look suggests the ID.3 will use a slightly more Teutonic variant of the cabin from Seat's el-Born concept, with an all-screen instrument cluster, a likely 10-inch center touchscreen and a twistable shifter placed on the dash. However, the biggest addition may be what you can't see: modern voice control.
Ford confirms it will build a car using VW's EV architecture
What was once rumored is now official: Ford is going to use VW's electric car platform, called MEB, for some of its own battery-powered vehicles. The announcement builds on the "global alliance" that the pair announced back in January. Ford says it will use VW's MEB to build "at least one high-volume fully electric vehicle" in Europe "starting in 2023." The MEB framework is already being used in a variety of yet-to-be-released EVs by Volkswagen and its subsidiary brands. Ford is the first external company beyond e.GO Mobile AG, a German EV startup, to use MEB, however.
Watch VW's electric race car smash a 20-year-old Goodwood record (updated)
VW clearly wasn't satisfied with setting the electric car record for the hill climb at 2018's Goodwood Festival of Speed. The automaker's ID.R racer (driven by Romain Dumas) returned to this year's festival in grand style, setting a hill climb time of 41.18 39.9 seconds -- fast enough to break an overall hill climb record that had been set 20 years ago by Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren MP4/13 Formula 1 car. That was no mean feat given its lower power (500kW versus an equivalent 574kW). You can see the achievement below.
VW will reportedly share its electric car platform with Ford
VW and Ford appear close to formalizing their partnership on EVs and self-driving cars. Reuters sources claim the two have forged an "outline agreement" that will see them ally on more than just commercial vehicles. Most notably, VW would share its EV-oriented MEB platform with Ford. While VW had previously talked about opening MEB to competitors, it hadn't mentioned Ford by name -- this suggests that your future Ford could share the same basic underpinnings as something like the ID Crozz.
Volkswagen’s Type 20 electric concept merges old-school and new
At an event at its newly christened Innovation and Engineering Center California in Belmont, Volkswagen unveiled its Type 20 concept car that's essentially a 1962 Microbus with a lot of tech crammed inside and its engine swapped for a battery pack and electric motor.
Watch Volkswagen's ID.R set an electric record at Nürburgring
Earlier this month, after lots of planning and testing, Volkswagen's electric ID.R racer set a record for "the fastest lap ever driven in an emission-free racing car" at the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife. An in-car video proving the record was released then, but now Volkswagen has put together a short behind the scenes video showing all the work necessary to make it happen, and stress of the actual day. You'll get up close interviews with the team and plenty of views from around the Green Hell. Check out the nine-minute video after the break, plus the in-car view of that blazing 6:05.336 lap around the 20.8km course. That's not just the fastest EV lap at the 'Ring, it's the second fastest lap -- period. Only the Porsche 919 Hybrid EVO has done it faster, with a 5:19.546 record set last year. Now the ID.R is focused on defending its crown at the Goodwood Hillclimb, and then taking on China's 6.8-mile "Heaven's Gate" road in September.
