2012 Vw Passat In Excellent Condition W/ 32mpg Hwy on 2040-cars

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VW orders external probe into diesel emission scandal

There are well over 480,000 Volkswagen-made, diesel-powered vehicles currently traveling roads in the United States that do not meet the Environmental Protection Agency's emissions requirements. This, as you can probably imagine, is a very big deal, and has led VW CEO Professor Doctor Martin Winterkorn to release an official statement on the matter. "I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public," he said. It's important to note that these vehicles run software with a so-called "defeat device" that kicks in when the on-board computer senses that it is being tested for emissions. When the car is operating normally – in other words, when its exhaust isn't being sniffed – the cars do not meet US emissions standards. According to the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, affected cars emit as much as 40 times the allowable level of certain pollutants. "We will cooperate fully with the responsible agencies, with transparency and urgency, to clearly, openly, and completely establish all of the facts of this case," according to Winterkorn, who added, "Volkswagen has ordered an external investigation of this matter." It's not yet known who will carry out this investigation. At present, there are still a number of 2015 Volkswagen models on dealer lots that do not meet emissions requirements. VW has issued a stop sale on vehicles equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI diesel engine. What's more, the German automaker has been barred from selling 2016 model-year vehicles that use this engine, according to The Detroit News. Last year, diesel vehicles made up about 22 percent of all VW sales, which means these restrictions will have a big impact on the brand's sales performance until a remedy is found and the vehicles are approved for sale. Interestingly, the EPA has started a campaign of sorts to test vehicles from other automakers that sell diesel-powered vehicles in the United States to make sure they comply with emissions requirements under all operating circumstances. The EPA says it "will be reviewing [its] compliance protocols and introducing ways in which [it] can effectively test not only for emissions performance but also for the potential presence of defeat devices," according to a statement provided to The Detroit News. Check out the full statement from VW CEO Martin Winterkorn below. Related Video: STATEMENT OF PROF. DR.

Regulators consider adding more carmakers to Takata recall

Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal has been getting a lot of press recently, but the Takata airbag inflator affair could be grabbing headlines again soon. According to Bloomberg, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is contemplating an expansion to the campaign that could add seven automakers to the 12 already affected. They are Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Spartan Motors, Suzuki, Tesla, Volvo Trucks, and VW Group. To be clear, there's no recall for any of these automakers, yet. The government is simply asking for a full list of vehicles that each of them have with Takata-supplied inflators containing ammonium nitrate propellant. The agency is concerned this substance could play a roll in the ruptures. "NHTSA is considering not only whether to issue an administrative order that would coordinate the remedy programs associated with the current Takata recalls, but also whether such an order should include expansion of the current recalls," the letters say. All seven can be viewed, here. From a report supplied by Takata, the government already knows that the company supplied 887,055 inflators with ammonium-nitrate propellant to VW and 184,926 of them to Tesla. In an incident during the summer, a side airbag allegedly burst in a 2015 VW Tiguan. In early September, NHTSA put out a revised report that there were 23.4 million inflators to be replaced in 19.2 million vehicles in the US. An earlier accounting from the agency had about 34 million of the parts in 30 million cars. High humidity is still believed to be among the biggest risk factors for the ruptures. Although, if ammonium nitrate also gets the blame, some already recalled models might need to be repaired again. Related Video:

TRANSLOGIC 150: Volkswagen XL1

How do you build the world's most fuel-efficient production car? Start with the world's most aerodynamic design. The Volkswagen XL1 is capable of 261 miles per gallon thanks to its sleek shape and ultra efficient plug-in diesel hybrid powertrain. The downside is that only 250 will be made and none will be sold stateside. That didn't stop us from taking our turn behind the wheel of this truly revolutionary ride.