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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.

Dodge Demon 170 reveal experience, Supercharging a non-Tesla and the BMW XM | Autoblog Podcast #774

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They start off with what it was like to be at the reveal for the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 out in Las Vegas. From there, they explore news of the 2024 Acura Integra Type S being revealed to have 5 more horsepower than the Civic Type R. And to round out the news section, there's an Explorer EV out, but it's only for Europe. After that, the two discuss the cars they've been driving, including the 2023 BMW XM, VW Jetta Sport with a manual transmission, our long-term Toyota Sienna minivan and what it was like to charge our long-term Kia EV6 on a Tesla Supercharger. Lastly, the pair spend some money to help a listener buy a car for their daughter who is just starting to drive. Autoblog Podcast # 774 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News Dodge reveals the Challenger SRT Demon 170 in Las Vegas The Acura Integra Type S will officially have 320 horsepower Electric Ford Explorer revealed in Europe What we're driving 2023 BMW XM 2023 VW Jetta Sport Supercharger experience with long-term Kia EV6 Long-term 2023 Toyota Sienna Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 reveal

Cost-cutting measures put VW Beetle in jeopardy

Volkswagen is on a mission to cut costs. That means producing more models across its various brands based on the same platforms and powertrains, but the latest word from Germany has it that it will also mean cutting some of the VW brand's less successful models. First on the chopping block, according to German publication Der Spiegel, is the three-door version of the Polo, which will reportedly cede its place to the five-door version exclusively. The elimination of that model alone is said to save VW a good 200 million euros, putting it on its way towards reducing the brand's costs by a targeted five billion euros. The Polo isn't the only one in danger, though. The Eos, as we know, is not due to be replaced, but the future of the Beetle could be in jeopardy as well. The Beetle may be one of VW's most iconic models, but is hardly its most successful in terms of sales. With the 2014 annual report due to be released shortly, the last full-year sales figures had Volkswagen selling 109,517 Beetles in 2013. That may be more than four times the number of Scirocco models it sold, but hardly puts a dent in the 871,413 Jettas, 824,629 Golfs and 725,291 Polos it sold during the same year.