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VW readying new VR6 with forced induction

Volkswagen built a stonking, narrow-angle V6 in the 1980s and 1990s that was found in three different generations of the Golf (their performance iterations, obviously), three generations of the Passat, the New Beetle, the Corrado and the Touareg, among other VWs, a spate of Audis, Seats, a Skoda, and even the Porsche Cayenne. It was a sad day when it was announced that it'd be put out to pasture.
Rejoice, though, fans of the venerable VR6, because Volkswagen has a new, modern variant in the works that, according to AutoWeek, features direct injection and can easily be fitted with forced induction. In fact, AW mentions Volkswagen insiders that claim this unit will spawn a production version of the twin-turbo V6 shown on the Design Vision GTI from this year's Wörthersee festival. That unit produced an epic 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque.
Don't expect a production unit with that level of power (although it would make a hardy RS4 powerplant), though. In reality, AutoWeek is suspecting anywhere from 340 to 450 horsepower from the new mill. When it arrives at an undisclosed date in the future, it'll likely be found in the Passat and Passat CC as well as the production version of the CrossBlue.

The tumultuous history of the diesel engine

Volkswagen, diesel's most enthusiastic patron, deceived everyone about the amount of emissions its cars were putting out. We have covered this latest massive automotive scandal in great detail, and there are surely more fascinating revelations to come. It turns out that this is just the latest episode in the epic story of the controversy and intrigue surrounding the diesel engine, and its inventor. This is the story of the tumultuous birth and interesting evolution of the compression-ignition engine at the center of the VW scandal. Napoleon III Got Rudolf Diesel Deported Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris in 1858. His Bavarian parents had settled in France where his father, Theodor, was a leather goods manufacturer. When the French Parliament declared war on Prussia, kicking off the Franco-Prussian war, the Diesels fled to London. When he was 12, Rudolf went to live with his aunt and uncle in the Bavarian university town of Augsburg. It was his parents' hometown, and importantly, it's where Rudolf began studying at the Royal County Trade School. His time in Augsburg, graduating at the top of his class from trade school that laid the groundwork for all that was to come. Diesel Nearly Blew Himself Up An early career in refrigeration saw Diesel running R&D in Berlin for Linde, a company started by refrigeration pioneer Carl Von Linde, one of Diesel's professors. His ambition to branch out beyond refrigeration, and his deep understanding of thermodynamics, led to efficiency experiments with steam engines. Diesel was trying to create an engine that didn't waste heat from the combustion process, therefore getting the most work out of the fuel. Instead, he was nearly killed when an experimental ammonia vapor steam engine exploded. Recovery took many months, and during some of that time, he was no doubt planning his next experimental engine, based on the theoretical Carnot cycle. His Engine Was An Attempt To Stick It To The Man Steam engines were expensive to run and wasteful. Diesel thought the efficiency of his design would be a way for the small business to compete with the dominant industrial giants. It was, and it did, but big business is equally passionate about chasing efficiency. Diesel engines quickly proliferated in industries both grand and cottage. Rudolf Didn't Really Invent The Diesel As We Know It Instead, he improved an existing one to a significant degree. The Diesel engine could be considered an evolution of the "hot-bulb" engine.

$1.4B hedge fund suit against Porsche dismissed

Investors have canvassed courts in Europe and the US to repeatedly sue Porsche over its failed attempt to take over Volkswagen in 2008 (see here, and here and here), and they have repeatedly failed to win any cases. You can add another big loss to the tally, with Bloomberg reporting that the Stuttgart Regional Court has dismissed a 1.4-billion euro ($1.95B US) lawsuit, the decision explained by the court's assertion that the investors would have lost on their short bets even if Porsche hadn't misled them.
Examining the hedge funds' motives for stock purchases and the bets that VW share prices would fall, judge Carola Wittig said that the funds didn't base their decisions on the key bits of "misinformation," and instead were participating simply in "highly speculative and naked short selling," only to get caught out.
With other cases still pending, the continued streak of victories bodes well for Porsche's courtroom fortunes, since judges will expect new information to consider overturning precedent. If there is any new info, it could come from the potential criminal cases still outstanding against former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking and CFO Holger Härter, who were both indicted on charges of market manipulation.