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2015 Volkswagen Golf R [w/video]

Volkswagen hired a photographer to come shoot the handful of journalists that it brought to drive the 2015 Golf R at Buttonwillow Raceway north of Los Angeles. This fact, though unremarkable in and of itself, was something I hadn't noticed until I was well into my track time – probably ten laps deep on a day that would see me run twice that number. In any event, I noticed the intrepid shooter as he was sprinting from one side of the track to the other somewhere before Turn 2, while I was barreling down the main straightaway, still looking through Turn 1. In the roughly two-mile configuration of the track that I drove, Buttonwillow is a big, wide-open circuit, largely flat and with excellent overall visibility. On that layout, and just hours into my Golf R experience, I'd already become confident in endeavoring to push the limits of VW's latest blistering hatch. In fact, the easy nature of driving the thing quickly had me overestimating my pace. So when I saw the photog sprint across the tarmac I instinctively slowed way too much, way too early for Turn 1. Looking back at the incident after I'd pitted for the session, I laughed at myself, knowing I'd have had to be driving almost double my actual speed to put the camera guy in any real danger of being hit. But the experience crystallized what my full test of the R bore out: this is a car that makes you feel much faster than you otherwise would, at least in a competition setting. The 2015 Golf R is an uber hatch that will flatter those hyper-enthusiasts passionate enough to splash out on its steep price tag, but without threatening sales of core models like the GTI and its ilk. That's a good thing for the VW fanboys, to be sure, and, I'd argue, a great thing for the strength of the German brand overall. {C} The R felt both placid and comfortable while I clicked off highway miles in search of the racetrack. My test in California had at least two things in common with the First Drive feature that Steve Ewing brought us with the Golf R in Sweden. First, we both drove European specification cars (though mine didn't suffer from the same sticker abuse that Steve's did). Second, we were both somewhat limited in terms of driving the car in varied, real-world situations. My street route consisted almost entirely of tracking California's I-5 north out of Los Angeles; which any Angelino will tell you is a less-than-riveting mode of travel.

Volkswagen is not cool with a Fiat Chrysler merger

Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller shot down Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne's overtures for a merger in blunt fashion this week. Mueller told Reuters at the Geneva Motor Show, "We are not ready for talks about anything ... we have other problems. I haven't seen Marchionne for months." The unusually candid – and icy – response from one chief executive to another comes after Marchionne similarly pursued General Motors (again) this week. The FCA boss suggested GM might be looking for a new European partner as it prepares to unload its troubled Opel and Vauxhall divisions to PSA. A GM spokesman told USA Today that the company is not interested. Marchionne has been openly suggesting a GM merger since at least 2015, despite GM never reciprocating interest. VW's "other problems," as Mueller notes, include legal proceedings, fines, recalls, and other issues related to its long-running diesel scandal. Marchionne has long sought industry consolidation, arguing that automakers don't get a proper return on their investments in technologies, some of which are relatively similar. He's suggested sharing chassis and powertrain components could be a benefit to the collective auto sector. Skeptics argue FCA, which is smaller than GM, VW, Toyota, and others, needs a partner to survive, while its rivals already have the necessary scale to remain competitive. Related Video:

VW diesel scandal: South Korea could be next

To no one's surprise, there are constant new developments in the VW diesel scandal. We hit the main points in a number of posts recently, but there were other, smaller developments that we didn't put into their own post. Instead, we've collected them here. For our complete coverage of this issue, click here. There's a lot to digest, so here goes. To try and keep dealers happy, VW announced that it guarantee bonus payments to its US dealers this month worth $300 for every new car sold ($600 for each Passat). The automaker is also going to guarantee payments from the company's customer experience bonus program. A memo from VW's US chief Michael Horn said, "We understand the pressure these recent events have put your business under and we are committed to providing you support," according to Automotive News. You can see Horn speaking at an event Monday night above. There will be at least one more official investigation into just how widespread this issue. South Korea has now said it will look into the emissions numbers for around 4,000-5,000 cars there. The affected TDI engines can be found in two VW and one Audi models (Jetta, Golf and A3) in South Korea. In the US, there could be another investigation as well, since Senator John Thune, (R-SD), the chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to take a closer look. A scandal this big is not only going to affect VW. To get ahead of any possible criticism, Bosch has issued a statement saying that yes, it does make parts for the 2-liter, 4-cylinder TDI engine that is at the heart of the problem. But, in a statement emailed to Reuters, said, "We produce the components after specification of Volkswagen. The responsibility for application and integration of the components lies with Volkswagen." Looking ahead, VW said in a new statement (available below) that its new EU 6 diesel engines do, " comply with legal requirements and environmental standards." That means that, supposedly, there's no "defeat device" needed to make these engines clean enough to pass strict environmental regulations. That'll be important if VW wants to keep marketing diesel as a clean fuel. For now, the tide seems to be turning against the automaker. Volkswagen AG has issued the following information: Volkswagen is working at full speed to clarify irregularities concerning a particular software used in diesel engines.