VW tops in Corporate Trust Index only a few years after sex and bribery scandal?
No one could ever accuse the auto industry of having a sturdy long-term memory. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen Group has just been named the most trustworthy company in the German DAX stock index. Sure, Max, that adorable talking Beetle seems like a stand-up guy and all, but it wasn't so long ago that VW ran into some serious legal trouble over its business dealings. Most notably, in 2008, Klaus Volkert, the former head of the company's works council, was sentenced to three years in prison for breach of trust. The courts found that Volkert had received close to $3 million in order to influence votes on significant company decisions. Nothing like good old fashioned bribery to get things done.
Bad? Sure, but it gets worse. Another executive, Klaus-Joachim Gebauer, was found guilty of 40 counts of breach of trust after organizing pleasure cruises for members of the works council. Aside from the usual wining and dining, the cruises featured a full stable of prostitutes with orders to treat the council members "generously." But hey, that was at least two years ago... right?
[Source: Automotive News | Image: Fabian Bimmer/AP]VW tops in Corporate Trust Index only a few years after sex and bribery scandal? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:57:00 EST. .
1974 Volkswagen Scirocco designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro
The Volkswagen Group has completed its takeover of Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG) with the purchase of a 90.1 percent stake in the design studio. The shares in the company were purchased by Lamborghini - "owned" by VW Group member Audi - and the remaining 9.9 stake is still in the hands of the Giugiaro family. The buyout was originally reported back in May of this year and the studio/small volume manufacturer are now part of the ever-expanding auto conglomerate. The top management of the company, including founder/chairman Giorgetto Giugiaro and his son and vice-president Fabrizio, remain in place.
Volkswagen and IDG have a relationship going back decades, when the elder Giugiaro penned the 1970 Volkswagen Porsche Tapiro Concept as well as the first generation Golf and Scirocco. It's unclear if IDG will continue working with outside clients or will now dedicate itself to VW Group projects.
Gallery: Italdesign Volkswagen Concepts
[Source: Volkswagen]
2011 Volkswagen NMS Sketch - Click above to enlarge
It's no secret that Volkswagen has ambitious plans for the U.S. market over the next decade. The German automaker has its sights set on a combined one million sales per year (made up of 800,000 VWs and 200,000 Audi vehicles, give or take) by the year 2018. That's three times as many vehicles as the company sold last year.
Of course, selling more cars in the U.S. means building more cars in North America. Hence VW's billion dollar investment in a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the automaker will build the upcoming "New Midsize Sedan" specifically for the American market.
Put down your Little Debbie snack cakes, job seekers - a report from Autoweek suggests that VW has plans in the works to build another vehicle in Tennessee. While we had previously heard that the second model may be an Audi, it now seems as if it may be a VW-badged small car of CUV. The report also indicates that an engine plant may go up alongside the new facility to build engines for North America.
In any case, the value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the euro is likely to have a large impact on whatever decision is finally made.
[Source: Autoweek]Small car or CUV could be added to Volkswagen plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:27:00 EST. .
Volkswagen Amarok single-cab prototype - Click above for high-res image gallery
New spy photos have turned up showing a standard-cab version of the Volkswagen Amarok... snagged testing on Germany's Nürburgring, of all places. Up until now, the Amarok pickup has only been seen with a short-bed, crew-cab configuration, but the new standard-cab is expected to go on sale in 2011. The thick B-pillar should mean that the seats will have some space behind them to allow for storage or adjustment for more leg-room.
The current Amarok is only available with either four- or all-wheel-drive, but the new version is expected to have a rear-wheel drive base model as well. Judging by the relatively plain trim on this prototype, it appears that Volkswagen is aiming to offer a lower cost work truck similar to the pickups that are commonly sold to commercial fleets here in the United States.
The 163 horsepower 2.0-liter diesel is expected to carry over to the standard-cab with a dual-clutch DSG gearbox joining the existing six-speed manual box. As far as we know, there are still no plans to offer the Amarok in the North American market. Oh, and we're also not sure if the Amorok was able to set any new 'Ring records... but probably not.
2009 Volkswagen Routan - Click above for high-res image galleryChrysler recently announced the recall of 285,000 2008 and 2009 Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans because of an improperly routed wiring harness in the sliding doors. If you were thinking that your Volkswagen Routan, which is almost completely identical to the Chrysler minivans, was somehow immune to this issue, think again.
VW is recalling 15,902 Routans built between June 2008 and July 2009 for the exact same issue as it's domestic-branded siblings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the minivan's lower sliding door hinge bracket can make contact with the harness. That contact could eventually wear through the wire insulation, potentially causing a "high resistive short circuit within the latch mechanism located inside the sliding door." As a result of the condition, the latch can overheat, leading to the possibility of a fire inside the rear sliding door.
Affected owners can take their Routan to the nearest VW dealer for a free inspection. Any damaged parts will be repaired or replaced as necessary. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.
Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan
[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]