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Top Gear drag races VW Golf R against McLaren 675LT and Porsche 911

Top Gear's latest quarter-mile drag race in the collects three very different performance vehicles: the 296-horsepower Volkswagen Golf R, 424-hp Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, and 666-hp McLaren 675LT. While each of these cars sit near the top of their segment, they each come from totally different rungs of the sports car price ladder. Spoiler alert, the Golf R doesn't win. But the final results illustrate the diminishing returns of price and performance. For example, the McLaren is only about a second quicker than the Porsche to 60 miles per hour, but the 675LT costs over 2.5 times more that the GTS. Related Video:

Angry diesel owners joining lawsuits against Volkswagen [w/video]

Livid at the prospect of losing thousands of dollars from the value of their cars and performance from their diesel engines, many owners of Volkswagens are headed to court. A law firm with a track record of suing automakers has already filed three class-action lawsuits against the German automaker related to its emissions-cheating scandal and says a fourth one is on the way. The lawsuits, filed by national firm Hagens Berman, accuse Volkswagen Group of America of fraudulent concealment, false advertising, and violations of federal and state laws. Plaintiffs in all 50 states have joined the class-action suits, according to the firm. A spokesperson says there has been "an unprecedented response" since the first lawsuit was filed within hours of an announcement from federal regulators last Friday. The lawsuits accuse Volkswagen Group of America of fraudulent concealment, false advertising, and violations of federal and state laws. Diesel owners paid thousands more for their vehicles instead of their gasoline-powered counterparts because Volkswagen's diesel engines ostensibly offered both torque and fuel economy. Now affected car owners are faced with a double-whammy – the value of their cars has diminished with the news and the purported software fix that brings the cars in emissions compliance will likely lower their performance and gas mileage. "Hundreds of thousands of consumers put their trust in VW when they looked to its 'Clean Diesel' line for an efficient, environmentally conscious diesel option," said Steve Berman, managing partner. "But for years, VW cheated the system. Its TDI line of fast but 'good-for-the-environment' cars seemed too good to be true, and they were." In its latest court filing, Hagens Berman lawyers said that car owners believed their vehicles were in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency standards and that the cars would retain their operating characteristics throughout their useful lives. Another firm, Girard Gibbs, has also filed a lawsuit over the diesel deception. "These Volkswagen vehicles should never have been sold, and certainly should not have spent the past six years on American roads polluting our air," said Eric Gibbs, the lead attorney. "Not only does this kind of fraud harm consumers and the environment, it negatively impacts competition, which is what drives our free-market system.

VW stock delisted from Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Because of the company's years-long diesel emissions evasions, Volkswagen AG is being removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices effective October 6, according to a joint statement by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and RobecoSAM. After looking at reports of the automaker's cheating software, the DJSI has decided that the company shouldn't be part of the index anymore. According to The Detroit News, the DJSI is meant to track the top 10 percent of companies that are considered leaders environmentally and socially in each industry among the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index. This de-listing means that VW is no longer considered an industry leader by this group for its economic, environmental and social performance. As of this writing, VW AG's stock price sits at 97.75 euros ($109.14), and the figure has been largely in freefall since the emissions evasions reports first surfaced. It was considered shocking on September 21 when the shares plunged almost 18 percent to end the day at 132.15 euros ($147.57). According to The Detroit News, the automaker has lost about $30.8 billion in value since the EPA put out its notice of violation on September 18. Related Video:   Volkswagen AG to be Removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices New York and Zurich, September 29, 2015 Effective October 6, 2015, Volkswagen AG (VW) will be removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). A review of VW's standing in the DJSI was prompted by the recent revelations of manipulated emissions tests. Per the published and publicly available methodology for the DJSI, potential problematic issues relating to any DJSI component company automatically trigger a Media & Stakeholder Analysis (MSA), which examines the extent of the respective company's involvement and how it manages the issue. Following the MSA, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Committee (DJSIC) reviews the issue and decides whether the company will remain in the index, based on DJSI Guidelines. In VW's case, the DJSIC reviewed the situation and ultimately decided to remove the Company from the DJSI World, the DJSI Europe, and all other DJSI indices. The stock will be removed after the close of trading in Frankfurt on October 5, 2015, thus making the removal effective on October 6, 2015. As a result, VW will no longer be identified as an Industry Group Leader in the "Automobiles & Components" industry group.