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A fix is finally coming for some diesel Volkswagens in America

According to Automotive News, the EPA has approved a fix for select Volkswagen and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles. The fix applies to 2015 VW Beetles, Golfs, Golf SportWagens, Jettas, Passats, and Audi A3s. Unfortunately for a majority of people saddled with cheating VWs, Automotive News reports that only about 70,000 vehicles will get this fix. The remainder of the 475,000 affected cars don't have an approved fix yet. The fix first involves a software update. Later, a particulate filter and additional catalysts will be installed with a further software update. According to Automotive News, the hardware portion will be available next year. Despite the small number of vehicles approved, this may give VW owners some hope that they'll be able to make their cars emissions compliant. Volkswagen also recently got approval for a fix of nine million cars in Europe, and the company may be close to a fix for diesel V6 models. However, for owners of 2.0-liter models uninterested in waiting for a fix, they can still participate in the buyback. Volkswagen would prefer that repurchased cars aren't stripped of parts beforehand, though. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Review View 42 Photos News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Seyth Miersma Green Audi Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal

Audi's 2025 goal for 25% EV sales? It's already happening

We were pleasantly surprised by Audi's full-throated support for plug-in vehicles at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show. That support took the form of the surprising claim that between 20 and 25 percent of new Audis sold will have a plug by 2025. The encouraging electric love fest continues in a new press release that's all about the brand's European sales. Now, US sales of the A3 E-Tron will start at some point in the next two months, so we don't know how the excellent plug-in hatch will fare here but as you can see, things are going extremely well in Europe: A year after its market introduction, the sales figures for the Audi A3 e-tron are also extremely encouraging: In Western Europe, it conquered top spot among the electric cars in the premium compact segment over the past few months. In Norway and the Netherlands one in four Audi customers is already opting for an A3 e-tron. So, after being available for 12 months across the pond, the numbers are impressive. Perhaps Audi of America CEO Scott Keogh knew that the 25 percent threshold is already a reality in two countries when he spoke to us in LA. In any case, Audi's got something to point to today when people ask if selling 25 percent of its cars as EVs is possible. If you'd like to add your dollars to Audi's plug-in sales figures, the A3 E-Tron's configurator is live. AUDI AG: European sales up six percent in November Audi remains on track: With around 147,750 deliveries (+1%) in November, the company reaffirmed its strong sales result from the prior-year month. In Europe, the Ingolstadt-based carmaker increased sales by 6 percent to around 62,300 units, despite the model changeover for its bestseller, the Audi A4. Since the start of the year, more than 1.64 million customers worldwide have chosen the brand with the four rings, up 3.4 percent. "In light of extraordinary effects in China and the model phase-out for the first-generation Q7 in the United States, we are satisfied with our sales performance in November," says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. "The sustained high demand for Audi models in Europe and our good global order situation continue to provide momentum for the months ahead." Most recently, the brand's growth in Europe was driven particularly by the latest models: Sales of the Audi Q7, with the latest generation launched in summer, quadrupled to around 3,300 units in November.

Audi boosts A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid production to 50 a day

Should we try to translate "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" into German? Audi might force us to do that. That's because the German automaker has stepped up production of its new plug-in vehicle – the A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid – which is never a bad thing. Audi was circulating prototypes of the PHEV as early as 2012 and launched production this summer at a clip of 30 vehicles a day. Now, the company is saying that it's upped that daily production rate to 50. That's not exactly Ford F-150 manufacturing territory, but it's a pretty good sign that more Europeans are clamoring for the plug-in than Audi expected. The A3 E-Tron is priced at about $51,000 in Germany and pairs a 1.4-liter gas-powered engine with an electric motor to produce 204 horsepower and get the car from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than seven and a half seconds. More impressively, the A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid can go 30 miles on electricity alone plus another 550 miles on gas power, and gets a Euro-based fuel-economy rating of a monstrous 156 miles per gallon. Check out Audi's press release below and take a look at our drive impressions here. On the line and on time: Production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron • First plug-in hybrid model drives off the assembly line in Ingolstadt • Assembly processes integrated into the A3 line • Maximum safety for employees, top quality for customers Production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron: Assembly – On the engine and component assembly line, the electric motor and transmission are fitted to the engine. Approximately 50 cars every day, with the same timing and on the same assembly line as the other models: Audi is now ramping up production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron*. The premium manufacturer is producing its first plug-in hybrid model at the brand's main plant in Ingolstadt. "We started series production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron in the summer," said Dr. Hubert Waltl, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG. "Most of the assembly work is integrated into the A3 line; no separate manufacturing is necessary. That demonstrates the flexibility and efficiency of our production planners and employees." With the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, Audi is launching the mobility of the future. The compact five-door combines a 1.4 TFSI combustion engine with a 75 kW electric motor, resulting in a total system output of 150 kW (204 horsepower).