2007 Volkswagen Passat 2.0t Wagon 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Audi CVT suit settlement given green light, 64,000 cars covered

Audi drivers, listen up. If you bought or leased a 2002-06 model-year A4 or A6 with a factory-installed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that failed, you may be entitled to reimbursement under a recently settled class-action lawsuit with corporate parent Volkswagen.
According to Automotive News, the settlement covers about 64,000 vehicles and alleges that "manufacturing and design problems caused the transmissions to fail and left owners stuck with repair costs." While the suit also argues Audi was aware of these issues (going so far as to hide that knowledge from consumers), the settlement stops short of acknowledging any wrongdoing by the German automaker.
Audi drivers are eligible for a cash reimbursement if their CVT repairs occurred within 10 years or 100,000 miles of the date they bought or leased the vehicle before June 19, 2013. To be eligible for compensation, drivers must submit a claim form (found here) with supporting documents by November 18.

European jury picks finalists for 2015 Car of the Year

There are countless Car of the Year awards handed out each year, and naturally, Europe has its own way of doing things. Every year, a panel of jurists representing seven publications in seven different languages and seven different countries get together to name their joint Car of the Year. The panel released a list of 32 candidates back in July, and it has now whittled that list down to seven nominees. The list consists of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, the Citroen C4 Cactus (shown), the Ford Mondeo, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Nissan Qashqai, the Renault Twingo and the Volkswagen Passat. Of those seven, only two are available in the US – those being the Mondeo (sold Stateside as the Fusion) and the C-Class. The Passat is an entirely different model in North America, the Qashqai isn't offered here, Citroen and Renault don't even participate in our market and the BMW 2 Series is represented here only by the completely different coupe and convertible. Expect the one and only recipient of the 2015 Car of the Year award to be announced at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, and while you're waiting, you can place your guesses for the eventual winner in Comments. Featured Gallery 2015 European Car of the Year: Nominees News Source: CaroftheYear.org BMW Ford Mercedes-Benz Nissan Volkswagen Citroen Renault car of the year nissan qashqai citroen c4 cactus bmw 2 series active tourer

Winterkorn steps down as CEO of Porsche SE

Martin Winterkorn's departure from all things related to the Volkswagen Group is nearing completion. After having stepped down as chairman of the automaker's executive board nearly a month ago in the wake of the automaker's diesel emissions scandal, he's now leaving the direction of the company's principal shareholder, as well. After VW acquired Porsche (the automaker) several years ago, and in turn was principally acquired by Porsche (the holding company), the latter installed Winterkorn as its chief executive officer in order to cement ties between the parties. He's served as chairman of the executive board (German-speak for CEO) at Porsche Automobil Holding SE ever since, but he's now officially resigned from that position. In his place, the holding company has named Hans Dieter Potsch as its new chief exec. Potsch was also recently named as chairman of the supervisory board of the Volkswagen Group, having served until now as CFO of both VW AG and of Porsche SE. Winterkorn's principal successor at the helm of daily operations at VW is Matthias Muller, formerly CEO of the Porsche auto brand and now CEO of the entire VW group. The development brings Winterkorn's exit closer to completion. However the departing executive still, for the time being, remains at the head of group divisions Audi, Scania, and Truck & Bus GmbH. We don't expect it will be much longer, however, before he formally resigns from those chairmanships as well. Related Video: Porsche SE: Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn ceases function as member and chairman of the executive board Successor as chairman will be chief financial officer Hans Dieter Potsch Stuttgart, 17. October 2015. Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart ("Porsche SE"), reached an agreement with Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn that he ceases his function as member and chairman of the executive board of Porsche SE by the end of October 31, 2015. Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, chairman of the supervisory board of Porsche SE, thanked Prof. Dr. Winterkorn for the successful work in previous years: "Prof. Dr. Winterkorn assumed office as chairman of the executive board of Porsche SE in a difficult situation. He played a significant role in transforming our company into a highly professional investment holding. I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the entire supervisory board." Hans Dieter Potsch, chief financial officer of Porsche SE, was appointed by the supervisory board to succeed Prof. Dr.