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VW's GTI Aurora concept has a hologram-controlled sound system
Trunk-mounted sound systems are often about bragging rights, but VW might have more reason to boast than usual. It's showing a Golf GTI Aurora concept car whose centerpiece is a hologram-controlled audio system accessible from the back. You can push floating buttons, grab 3D sliders and, of course, produce eye-catching visuals. VW hasn't outlined the exact technology at work, but you don't need glasses, gloves or other extras to operate it.
VW starts taking deposits for its ID.3 electric hatchback
VW is finally ready to take €1,000 deposits for the production version of its I.D. electric hatchback in 29 European countries. Now called the ID.3, the finished car (which won't come with the colorful camouflage above) is initially available in a loaded, limited-edition "1st" model that includes the mid-tier, 261-mile battery as well as navigation, voice control and large wheels. Pricing will start at "less than €40,000" (about $44,800), but there will also be a 1st Plus variant with additional lighting and design touches as well as a 1st Max with an augmented reality heads-up display and a panoramic glass roof.
VW's eGon is a driveable, educational EV skeleton
How do you illustrate the inner workings of electric cars without resorting to plain cutaway images and videos? If you're VW, you make a rolling skeleton on wheels. The company has unveiled an eGon model that strips the e-Golf down to its inner workings, but remains driveable -- you wouldn't take it on the highway, but you could get a feel for how everything comes together when it's moving. You'll also find QR codes across the car to provide more information about individual components.
VW's ID Roomzz previews a full-size electric SUV due in 2021
Volkswagen's growing electric car lineup will include something for those who like the reassurance of a full-size SUV. The automaker has unveiled an ID Roomzz concept that previews a three-row SUV headed for production in 2021. It's stylistically similar to the smaller Crozz and will muster a comparable 301HP through its dual motors, but the added bulk cuts its range to 280 miles on the WLTP testing cycle and gives it a still-respectable 0-62MPH time of 6.6 seconds. In the concept, though, the interior is everything -- it's designed with self-driving tech in mind.
EU believes BMW, Daimler and VW colluded over clean emissions tech
The European Commission believes BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen worked together to delay clean emissions technology. Last fall, the EU Commission launched a formal investigation to determine if the automakers breached EU antitrust rules by restricting competition on the development of emissions-reducing technology. Now, in a Statement of Objections, the Commission has informed BMW, Daimler and VW of its "preliminary view" that they did in fact violate antitrust rules -- meaning they also led to higher emissions and denied consumers the opportunity to buy less polluting cars.
VW tests self-driving cars on the streets of Hamburg
VW will need to hustle if it's going to make automated driving a practical reality by 2025, and it appears it's moving quickly. The automaker is now testing self-driving versions of the e-Golf in real-world conditions in Hamburg -- the first time its driverless vehicles have roamed a major German city. They're Level 4 vehicles (fully autonomous in most situations) that will putt around a roughly 1.9-mile section of a "digital test bed," but they'll have to contend with urban traffic like anyone else.
VW may pour $1.7 billion into Ford's self-driving car venture
VW and Ford may be serious about partnering on self-driving cars. Wall Street Journal sources claim VW has tentatively agreed to invest a total of $1.7 billion in Ford's autonomy-focused Argo subsidiary and turn it into an "equally held joint venture." While the exact plans for the partnership weren't mentioned, VW could bring a number of its related efforts to the table, including its Moia mobility service brand as well as Audi's Autonomous Intelligent Driving group.
VW may open its electric car platform to competitors
Volkswagen's bid to widen the reach of its electric car platform might extend well beyond Ford trucks and vans. Company strategy head Michael Jost told Der Tagesspiegel in an interview that the company wanted to make its MEB platform a standard outside of VW Group cars. It was already in "advanced discussions" with some competitors, he added. While he didn't name those brands, Ford is already exploring further team-ups.
Volkswagen will produce its own car batteries and mobile EV chargers
Volkswagen's been trying to claw back its credibility with an ambitious commitment to EVs ever since its $18.2 billion dollar emissions scandal. Its lofty production goals aside, the German manufacturer's latest green move could see it kickstart Europe's car battery industry. In back-to-back announcements, VW said today that it will start building car batteries -- as well as recycling old cells -- and mobile EV charging stations (which are heading to the streets of its hometown of Wolfsburg in the first half of this year). VW is promising to pump $870 million (£754 million) into the venture by 2020.
VW and Ford may work together on EVs and autonomous vehicles
In the latest instance of major automakers teaming up, Volkswagen and Ford will work together on commercial vans and pickups, and they could start selling such vehicles by 2022. The companies are also exploring potential collaboration on electric vehicles, self-driving cars and transportation services.
VW will build its US electric cars in Tennessee
Volkswagen just made a major commitment to electric car production in the US. The company has revealed that it will open its first dedicated EV factory for North America at its existing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Production won't start until 2022, but VW claimed the new plant will create 1,000 jobs. The first vehicle out of the gate will be the ID Crozz SUV, which will go on sale in the country in 2020 -- in other words, those initial models will likely come from outside the country.
VW's mobile quick charging station is a juice pack for your EV
Volkswagen wants to ensure you'll always have enough range to drive an electric car home after a big game or concert. The company has offered a peek at a mobile station whose 360kWh charging capacity and 100kW DC quick charging can top up as many as 15 EVs (including, of course, VW's ID cars) with an average time of 17 minutes. Instead of having to find a dedicated station after an event, you could recharge in the parking lot -- think of it as a battery bank for your car instead of your phone. And if it runs low? The organizers just have to swap it out for a fresh one.
Volkswagen buys Volvo's connected car service
Volkswagen has made clear its ambition for unified internet services for its vehicles -- earlier this year it announced its partnership with Microsoft to build the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud. Now, it's pushing its agenda further, having acquired a controlling stake in Volvo's WirelessCar service.
Electrify America installs California's first 350kW EV chargers
Californians now have access to some of the fastest electric vehicle chargers on the planet... even if people can't really use those chargers yet. VW's Electrify America has installed California's first publicly available 350kW EV chargers at Simon's San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore Valley, 40 miles from San Francisco proper. The shopping location now has two of the extra-fast stations in addition to eight new chargers that muster 'only' 150kW. If you plug in a compatible car, the 350kW units should deliver 200 miles of range in about 10 minutes -- enough to be sure you get home.
Volkswagen plans a North America factory to build EVs
Volkswagen is planning a new factory in North America to build electric vehicles for the market, and the automaker is exploring potential sites. Scott Keogh, the new Volkswagen Group of America CEO, said at the LA Auto Show that VW's existing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee could fit the bill, as there's enough space, but the company won't necessarily pick that location.
Volkswagen owners can use Siri Shortcuts to unlock their car
If you're a Volkswagen driver, you now have another way to lock and unlock your car, start and stop electric charging and check your remaining estimated mileage. That's because VW has added Siri integration to its Car-Net app.
After Math: They're on the move
With the president's made up migrant caravan crisis having mysteriously vanished now that the midterms are over, it's time to take a look at the other movers and shakers from the industry this week. Volkswagen announced the development of a $23k Tesla rival, China has developed security cameras can now ID people by their gait, and Google's built a computer model to guess which restaurants will give you the runs.
Volkswagen reportedly has $23,000 Tesla competitor in the works
Volkswagen, the German automaker that cheated diesel emissions tests, is aiming to release an all-electric car for $23,000 -- undercutting the Tesla Model 3 by nearly $12,000 -- sources have told Reuters. VW will convert three of its factories in Germany to produce the "MEB entry," with a production target of 200,000 vehicles. The MEB (modular electric drive matrix) platform is being used to develop VW's I.D. family of electric vehicles. And the company has high hopes for the new platform, with a goal of selling 10 million vehicles by the end of its "first wave." The I.D. Aero, a mid-size sedan, will also see a production target of 100,000 vehicles. A release date for the MEB entry was not disclosed, but the first I.D. vehicle should land in 2020. The German automaker will discuss all of this in a supervisory board meeting on November 16th.
VW's Electrify America to install EV chargers along the Ohio Turnpike
If electric cars are going to become a staple of American roads, they're going to need chargers near prominent routes. And VW's Electrify America is about to address that. The company has revealed plans to install the first EV charging stations along the Ohio Turnpike, a 241-mile toll road meant to speed up trips in the state's northern corridor. This deployment will be modest, with four-dispenser units at Genoa's Blue Heron and Wyandot Services Plazas as well as West Unity's Indian Meadow and Tiffin River Services Plazas. However, the chargers will be fast -- each unit will offer between 150kW to 350kW, so it might take just minutes to top up your next-generation EV.
VW starts work on its first large-scale EV factory
VW's grandiose electric car plans just became more tangible. The automaker has started building its first group-wide, large-scale EV production factory in Anting, about 19 miles west of Shanghai. When it's up and running in 2020, the plant will build nothing but all-electric vehicles based on the company's MEB (Modular Electric Drive Kit) platform as well as the battery systems needed to power those vehicles. The first EV to roll off the line will be a VW-badged SUV (not necessarily the I.D. Crozz).
