2004 Volkswagen Beetle Gls Convertible 2-door 1.8l 79k Miles! No Reserve!!! on 2040-cars

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VW diesel incentives could be fuel for prosecutors

In the 2000s, Volkswagen was among the companies that lobbied the government to get buyers of diesel vehicles a tax credit. The automaker even brought some of these models to Washington to show them to politicians. The incentive eventually passed, and about 39,500 customers of the 2009 Jetta TDI and Jetta SportWagen TDI got a $1,300 benefit – for a total cost of around $51 million. Now, according to Reuters, that politicking might come back to bite the automaker when prosecutors finally get cases to trial. The US Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and attorneys general in at least 29 states are already investigating VW, and politicians are pushing for criminal and civil actions against the company. According to Reuters, there could be several legal routes available, too. One option is to bring tax fraud charges, and that would require proving the automaker knew it was making untrue claims about the diesel models. There's also the option of bringing a case under the False Claims Act, which prohibits fraud against the government. According to Reuters, a maximum penalty under the law would be three times the tax credit and another $5,000 for each vehicle that received it. The company is also facing a class-action lawsuit from disgruntled owners. To aid its defense against all of these claims, VW has hired the same firm that worked with BP during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Outside of the US, prosecutors in Germany have just started to build a case against former CEO Martin Winterkorn for alleged fraud. In addition to these potential legal penalties, VW could be fined around $18 billion by the EPA for the emissions infractions. The agency's investigation is getting the added backing of its Canadian counterpart. Although, the actual settlement is expected to be far less.

Volkswagen Golf GTD Variant burns the oil long and fast

Volkswagen offers no shortage of variations on the Golf theme in America, from the base hatchback and the electric e-Golf to the sporty GTI and performance-oriented Golf R. But as many as are available Stateside, there are even more that never make it here. Like the one you see above. It's called the Volkswagen Golf GTD Variant. It's based on what we'd know as the new Golf SportWagen, which is just arriving in the US now, but this one packs the performance upgrades from the Golf GTD. Isn't that a typo? Don't we mean GTI? No, we don't: we mean GTD. Because in Europe, you can get what is essentially a GTI with a diesel, complete with all (or at least most) of the gear you'd find in the petrol hot hatch, only with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel inline-four packing 181 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. That may not sound like all that much as far as performance models go, but it's more than we'll be able to get from either the gasoline or diesel versions of the Golf SportWagen back in the States. And that makes us a little jealous, especially with room for the kids, the dog and all their gear in the back. World premiere of the new Golf GTD Variant - The perfect all-round package: sporty, economical, comfortable and spacious - Launch set for Geneva Motor Show Since 1982 Volkswagen's GTD logo has stood for Gran Turismo Diesel, with its promise of sporty yet economical motoring. Now for the first time, the GTD initials grace the Golf Variant, which like the Golf GTD, boasts the 184 PS (135 kW) TDI engine. The new Golf GTD Variant is set for its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, and is available to order as of now at a price of 31,975 euros. The Golf GTD Variant* is excellently placed to establish itself as an iconic long-distance cruiser. The 184 PS TDI engine takes the Golf GTD Variant to 100 km/h in just 7.9 seconds with the 2-litre unit delivering a maximum torque of 380 Nm – and yet this sporty Variant car boasts impressive fuel consumption figures of only 4.4 litres per 100 km. The car's sporty character is reflected in its exterior design: along with special GTD bumpers and the honeycomb radiator grille, the Golf GTD Variant also features smoked rear lights and flared sills. The look is completed by 17-inch Curitiba alloys, black roof rails and dual chrome tailpipes.

MotorWeek recalls the glory days of the VW Cabriolet

Remember the car that the rich, very attractive girl in your high school got on her 16th birthday? Was it a Volkswagen Cabriolet? But time marches on, and the boxy convertibles have attained a certain quirky coolness in the modern day. MotorWeek weighs in with a look at the 1989 model in the latest entry in its Retro Review series. MotorWeek actually comes away rather impressed with the Cabriolet, especially its handling. The show doesn't even complain about the big roll bar over the center of the car that has always looked more like a basket handle than a safety aid. Host John Davis must have enjoyed driving the droptop VW, too – despite his very '80s windbreaker and polo shirt ensemble, he was sporting quite the tan in this clip. The small, inexpensive convertible segment has largely disappeared today, but as MotorWeek shows by comparing the Cabriolet to the Chrysler LeBaron and Chevrolet Cavalier, it wasn't always this way. Take a ride in VW's droptop to see how it scores.