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Recharge Wrap-up: Audi's EV SUV to be built in Brussels, Mercedes-Benz to extend EV range

European Union Industry Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska is demanding that Volkswagen compensate owners of cars affected by the diesel emissions scandal. She says European customers should receive the same goodwill compensation as American drivers, whom VW is providing with $1,000 worth of recompense. "The issue of compensation goes beyond the difference in the legal setup between the US and the EU and plays a fundamental role in viewing VW as a responsible and trustworthy company," says Bienkowska in a letter to Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller. Bienkowska has also requested detailed data about the vehicles and "corrective measures" VW is planning. Read more from Automotive News Europe. Mercedes-Benz will equip its plug-in vehicles with higher-capacity batteries as it expands its electric model range. While the PHEVs it has released so far have electric driving ranges between 14 and 20 miles, better batteries should extend that range starting around model years 2018 or 2019. After releasing a slew of plug-ins by the end of next year, Mercedes-Benz development director Dr. Thomas Weber says, "The next-generation vehicle will overcome the 30-km to 50-km hurdle and then the next generation after that will be 80-100 km when they run as pure electric cars." Read more at Green Car Reports, or from Motoring. Audi will build its pure electric SUV at its plant in Brussels, Belgium. The batteries for the vehicle based on the Audi E-Tron Quattro concept (perhaps to be called the Q6) will also be built at the Brussels plant when production begins in 2018. With this announcement comes news that production of the A1 will shift from Brussels to Martorell, Spain, while Q3 production will move from Spain to Gyor Hungary. Audi says the Brussels facility will "become a key plant for electric mobility at the Volkswagen Group." Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release below. Audi production network: ready for electric mobility - Premium manufacturer to produce large series of electric cars in Brussels as of 2018 - New models for Martorell (Spain) and Gyor (Hungary) - Audi CEO Rupert Stadler: "We are increasing our efficiency and bundling key competencies" Audi is preparing its international production network for the mobility of the future. Large series production of the first purely electric driven SUV from Audi will begin at the site in Brussels in 2018. The plant will also produce its own batteries.

Mercedes-AMG expands V12 engine production to Mannheim

Mercedes-AMG may be downsizing some of its engines, but it hasn't given up on making V12s. In fact it has so much demand for them, and so little room to expand, that it is opening a new workshop at another location just to handle V12s. We take that as a good sign. That new location is the Daimler factory in Mannheim, in southwestern Germany, which is already dedicated to engine production and is located just an hour and a half from the Mercedes headquarters in Stuttgart and the main AMG workshop in neighboring Affalterbach. But although the assembly of its 12-cylinder engines is being moved, it will still be carried out under the "one man, one engine" philosophy that sees each motor built from start to finish by one highly skilled and specially trained AMG technician. The move will give AMG the capacity to build more of its V12 engines. But it will also make use of excess capacity at the Mannheim plant, and allow the Affalterbach site to use the space and technicians freed up by the V12 move to focus instead on V8s. Those concerned about AMG's ability to maintain its levels of quality and performance at a remote location might note that production of its turbocharged four-cylinder engines for the A45, CLA45, and GLA45 models is already carried out by MDC Power GmbH, a Daimler subsidiary in Kolleda, using the same philosophy. AMG's current 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 engine produces a massive 621 horsepower and an even more impressive 738 pound-feet of torque. It's used in the SL65 roadster, G65 sport-ute, and S65 coupe and sedan... and maybe soon in the S65 cabrio as well. Come to think of it, a twelve-cylinder version of the new GLS seems like a good idea, too. And though Aston Martin is contracted to use AMG's eight-cylinder engines, the added capacity could get the creative juices from Gaydon flowing as well. Related Video: MERCEDES-AMG TO BUILD 12-CYLINDER ENGINES IN MANNHEIM Affalterbach. Due to strong demand for its high-performance automobiles, Mercedes-AMG is to start the assembly of its 12-cylinder engines in a new location at Daimler's site in Mannheim. The traditional AMG "one man, one engine" philosophy continues to hold true: each powerful AMG engine will be built completely by hand by just one engine fitter. The employees who currently assemble 12-cylinder engines at the AMG headquarters in Affalterbach will be shifted to the eight-cylinder engine lines.

Mercedes 'could' do BMW i rival. But it won't

It's a safe bet that if one automaker does something, its big rival won't be far behind with a response. This is true no matter the country in question. So with BMW's i sub brand enjoying a firm, green standing, it seems like only a matter of time before Mercedes-Benz answers. Or not. Speaking to Autocar, the company's head of sales and marketing, Ola Kallenius, said Mercedes could absolutely conjure up an ultra-efficient sub-brand filled with unique, eco-friendly models to compete with the i3 and i8. Or, you know, it could just apply a fuel-sipping philosophy across the company's range and crush i with a far wider array of models and powertrains. "We could choose for the purpose-made electric vehicles to create some sort of sub-brand but, right now, Mercedes is focused on investing tremendous resources into the path towards zero emissions," Kallenius told Autocar. "It's something that will affect the whole portfolio." And that's not all. "What we're going to do in terms of the road to zero emissions is invest heavily in alternative drivelines and electrification," Kallenius said. "That's a very wide strategy, but it means that by the end of next year we will have 10 plug-in hybrid models, which, I think, is the widest portfolio of any luxury manufacturer." Zing. Kallenius went on to say that on top of the PHVs, MB will sell three all-electric models – two Smart-badged vehicles and the not-for-US B-Class – while its next fuel-cell model, a GLC-based CUV, will hit dealers at the end of 2017. Related Video: