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Volkswagen Group looks to add ridesharing brand to portfolio

Volkswagen is rapidly trying to put the ongoing diesel scandal behind it at the Paris Motor Show with the unveiling of the automaker's electric I.D. Concept. In addition to unveiling the EV, the automaker also announced that it established a yet-to-be-named subsidiary for ridesharing purposes. The new brand will be VW Group's 13th, and will add mobility services to in the form of a carpooling service, similar to that of Uber and Lyft. This will include teaming up with Gett – a cab-hailing startup that operates in roughly 70 cities worldwide, which includes New York City, that was previously known as GetTaxi. Earlier this year, VW invested $300 million in the company. In addition to ridesharing, VW Group claims it is also hard at work on its own shuttle service as the brand aims to become a leader in urban mobility services by 2025. The name of the 13th brand and more information on the subsidiary will be released in November. VW Group also announced plans to give Gett drivers in Moscow, Russia "preferential terms" on a Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia, or Skoda Rapid. VW Group's 13th brand sounds similar to Mercedes-Benz's Vision Van Concept, which the automaker would allow consumers to lease and purchase the vehicle, as well as rent its services on a short-term basis. While the Vision Van Concept is a commercial vehicle that has delivery drones on the roof to aid deliveries, VW Group's shuttle service sounds more like autonomous buses to ferry people around. Now that diesels are dead, Volkswagen has quickly embraced the future, where autonomous and electric vehicles coexist. Related Video: Related Gallery Volkswagen I.D. Concept: Paris 2016 View 16 Photos News Source: Volkswagen Green Paris Motor Show Volkswagen Skoda Autonomous Vehicles Electric vw diesel scandal ridesharing 2016 paris motor show gett

VW recalls 220,000 Atlases, Atlas Cross Sports for airbag defect [Updated]

[Update: Audi of America has confirmed that no U.S. models are among the recall population for plug-in hybrid fire issue.] Volkswagen has issued yet another recall for its Atlas SUV, this time for side airbags that may not deploy correctly in an accident due to a problematic connection in one of the vehicle's wiring harnesses. The campaign covers 222,892 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport models built for the 2019-2023 model years.  The issue stems from a connection with the wiring harness that runs from the A-pillar into the door. VW says that harnesses produced by one of its suppliers were not built with additional measures to prevent movement at the connection point. Small movements can cause abrasion of the metal contacts which could lead to a whole host of electronic misadventures, including the potential for airbag deployment to be delayed in a crash.  "Micro-movement of the wire harness (terminal A-Pillar to front door) can result in damage to the wire terminal surface. Damage to the surface can [result] in fretting corrosion which may cause sporadic interruption in the electrical connection to the components of the front door," VW said in its defect notice. "The airbag warning light may illuminate if a malfunction is detected. Other symptoms of a sporadic interruption of the affected electrical connection can be: inadvertent rolling down windows, inadvertent park brake engagement at low speeds (below approx. 3km/h or 1.8mph), warning regarding faulty door sensor," VW said.  Not every model built within the range defined above is subject to the recall; terminals from other suppliers were manufactured with the necessary safeguards in place. If you own a 2019-2023 Atlas or Atlas Cross Sport, keep your eyes peeled for a notification from VW regarding the campaign, likely some time in early-mid May.  PHEV problems Across the Atlantic, the VW Group mothership confirmed that it will recall more than 100,000 plug-in hybrid models worldwide to address a fire risk. The recall was launched in response to 16 reported incidents of fires stemming from insufficient insulation of the PHEV battery pack that allows the engine cover to make contact if it is not completely secure. If that happens, the heat from the battery can ignite the engine cover. The recall will cover PHEVs build by VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda, Reuters reports, including the VW Passat, Golf, Tiguan and Arteon — plug-in variants of which are not sold in the United States.

VW Diesel Scandal Wrap-up: Time for bullet points

Here we go again. If you were not pegged to your RSS reader yesterday, scoping out all of the VW diesel scandal news, here's a brief rundown of what happened: Just how much extra pollution did VW's little problem cause in the US? New estimates suggest it's as bad as having an additional 19 million cars on the road, or "12,000 additional tons of nitrogen oxide pollutants per year." NOx can create smog and acid rain. The diesel scandal is also reshaping some online ads. Sponsored content in WIRED that talked about clean diesel has been taken down. The advertisement was a partnership between Volkswagen and the Wired Brand Lab and claimed to have, "created an experience that will inform, educate, surprise, and change the way you think about diesel." Canada says it might start up its own governmental investigation and that "enforcement action will be taken," if the automaker is found to have broken the law. The German government says it did not know about VW's subterfuge until recently, and is going to start a fact-finding process this week. It turns out that the first hints of this scandal were discovered by independent researchers in 2012 and 2013. Whatever happened, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that it's hard to hide something like this. Following CEO Martin Winterkorn's departure yesterday, speculation is running rampant to see who will replace him. Automotive News says it should be current Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller. Don't feel too bad for Winterkorn, though, as he's still likely to get his $32 million pension, Bloomberg says. Oh, and this isn't even the first time VW has tried to cheat the EPA. It's a problem in the auto industry. We'll see how many bullet points we have tomorrow. Government/Legal Green Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal martin winterkorn matthias mueller pension