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Volkswagen kills planned 10-speed DSG

If there are two things in this wild and crazy industry that keep growing, they are the size of cars and the number of gears in their transmissions. It wasn't ten years ago that cars with six forward gears – either manually or automatically shifted – were a relative rarity. Now, there are a multitude of sub-$30,000 cars with at least a six-speed automatic. But while eight- and nine-speed automatics are becoming increasingly common, no automaker has delivered a production ten-speed automatic (which may be a good thing, considering the reception to most nine-speed gearboxes). Ford and General Motors were collaborating on one as recently as April 2013, and Hyundai has was allegedly working on one way back in 2011. Most recently, though, Volkswagen announced a ten-speed, dual-clutch automatic in November 2014. And now, less than two years later, the project has apparently been shelved. That's according to our Vegemite-loving friends at Motoring.com.au, which report that both the cost and complexity of project has proved unfeasible for VW. "In the end, we had to balance what our priorities were with our transmissions and other things are more important and more urgent," an unnamed source at the Frankfurt Motor Show told the Aussie website. The ten-speed DSG was slated for a number of three- and four-cylinder models from VAG's entire range of affordable vehicles. It was also, allegedly, to feature in the ultra-high-performance Golf R400, Motoring reports. It's unclear how its cancellation will impact the company's future projects, if VW will look elsewhere for its small-car gearboxes, of if there's another – perhaps conventional – new transmission in the pipeline. Currently, VW's highest gear-count dual-clutch is the seven-speed DSG, shown above with company CEO Martin Winterkorn.

VW of America boss Horn was aware of diesel cheat 18 months ago

We're just going to make a prediction: Volkswagen of America boss Michael Horn's congressional testimony, slated to begin today, is not going to go well. Based on a written testimony submitted by Horn, the exec is expected to tell Congress he knew his company was violating emissions regulations at least 18 months before it actually came clean. "In the spring of 2014... I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied," Horn wrote, in testimony published on the US House of Representatives' website (PDF warning). "I was informed that EPA regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include 'defeat device' testing or analysis. I was also informed that the company engineers would work with the agencies to resolve the issue." Horn's written testimony went on to outline how the company will "develop a remedy for our customers." It includes five points, ranging from the "world-wide investigation" being conducted by the company to reassurances that VW's engineers are "working tirelessly" on fixes to the four-cylinder diesel problems. Horn went on to confirm that each generation of the affected diesel – there are three – will require its own distinct fix. Finally, Horn went on to say that the company will "examine our compliance, processes, and standards" to prevent a repeat of the diesel catastrophe, while promising "open communication with our customers, dealers, employees, and the public as we move forward." We've included Horn's complete, three-page written testimony below. Have a look. Testimony of Michael Horn, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. Before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations October 8, 2015 Chairman Upton, Chairman Murphy, Ranking Member Pallone, Ranking Member DeGette, other Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify before the Committee today. My name is Michael Horn, and I am the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. I have volunteered to come before this Committee at the very outset of these inquiries in an effort to show our commitment to cooperation. We have not had the opportunity to review all aspects of this matter, indeed the investigation is just beginning.

Leaked Audi product roadmap may confirm R8 with V6 engine

About a year ago, we reported that Audi was considering downsized engines for the new R8, which launched in V10 form. This is partially due to the Chinese market's desire for smaller displacement engines, and partially due to R8 technical lead Roland Schala's statement that a "V6 is a perfect engine for this car." This leaked upcoming product schedule, passed on by our friends at Autobahn.eu, seems to confirm these rumors. Based on the information in the image above, the R8 V6 is due in 2018. The rest of the product map seems to square with vehicles we know are in the pipeline. We spied the SQ7, A5, and R8 Spyder about a year ago, and the TT RS a few months ago. We told you in December a new Q5 is on the way, too. We just heard a credible rumor that the RS3 is on the way in 2017 as a 2018 model, and may even come to America, which squares with what we're seeing here. And we drove the Q7 E-Tron in 2015 – it's going on sale in Europe soon. This graphic puts the on-sale date as October 2017; that could be for the US market. Puzzlingly, this graphic doesn't discuss the Q2, which Audi just teased today. We're not sure what to make of that. Now onto the fun stuff. 2018 should be when Audi reveals a new A8 (featuring, most likely, a version of the futuristic Virtual Dashboard seen at CES) and A7, an RS 5 Coupe launching a few months after the A5/S5, a new A6, and the already-confirmed Q8 SUV. All expected or already confirmed. What about the cryptically-named "C-BEV?" If we extrapolate that to mean C-segment EV, if could be the Audi version of the stand-alone EV that VW is reportedly developing, and no, it's not the next E-Golf. We expected this MEB-based vehicle to debut in 2018, before the next-generation Golf, so again our rumors square nicely with what this roadmap tells us. Let's leave it at this: if you're an Audi fan, the next few years are going to be quite exciting. Expect some of these rumors to be confirmed in Geneva, so keep your eyes here for more Audi and VW info. Related Video: