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Canada expands cooperation with EPA over VW scandal

It doesn't take much more than a stiff breeze to send some US pollution northward across the 49th parallel. Perhaps that's why the Canadian government says it is standing strong with the US in its continuing investigation of Volkswagen and the allegations and self-reporting that the automaker installed software to try to game emissions regulations. In fact, the Canadian government is going to do its own slate of on-road testing to see how VW diesel engines perform in real-world conditions. Last year, about 1.8 million new light-duty vehicles were sold in Canada, which is about equal to how many were sold in Maryland. That compares to about 17 million new-vehicle sales for the US. But every bit counts when it comes to an increase in potentially harmful emissions, and the Canadian government says it wants to make sure VW's diesel engines are being properly monitored, whether they're sold in Detroit, MI, or across the river in Windsor, Ontario. And that means following up – together – on allegations that Europe's biggest automaker is using so-called "defeat devices" in what it has long called its "clean diesel" engines. The automotive industry continues to be roiled by the VW scandal, in which the automaker said that as many as 11 million of its vehicles may contain software programmed to manipulate emissions-testing procedures. Volkswagen has set aside $7.3 billion to deal with the scandal, while VW CEO Martin Winterkorn was forced to step down after the issue became public. Take a look at Environment Canada's press release below. Statement - Government of Canada expands its on-going collaborative work with the U.S. EPA to assess other diesel vehicles for defeat devices OTTAWA, Sept. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - On September 22, 2015, the Government of Canada opened an investigation into Volkswagen's alleged use of defeat devices to circumvent emissions regulations. Environment Canada issued the following update on the issue: "The Government of Canada has a long history of collaborating closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to align emission standards, as well as to provide oversight and verify compliance with applicable emission regulations "Today, the Government of Canada is announcing that it has expanded its ongoing collaborative work with the U.S. EPA to assess other diesel vehicles for defeat devices and compliance issues. "Vehicles will be subject to a variety of tests including on-road testing using portable emission measurement systems.

VW ready to spend $25B on at least 6 EVs in China by 2018

Standing next to the lovely GTE plug-in hybrid during the Beijing Motor Show, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn announced a renewed, $25-billion focus for the German automaker on electric mobility in China. EVs + China is not a new equation for VW (see here and here and here), but the time is now for the plan to come together, apparently. As Winterkorn said in a statement (available below), "We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history." "We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history" – Martin Winterkorn With the Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid already in showrooms, the next tip of the spear is made up of the all-electric e-up! and e-Golf, both of which are due later this year. In 2015, the Audi A3 e-tron and Golf GTE will arrive. In 2016, there will be two exclusive-to-China plug-in hybrid vehicles in showrooms: a A6 PHEV and a "new mid-size limousine from the Volkswagen brand." VW Group may even throw in the Bentley Hybrid Concept for good measure. The China-only models will be built in the country and VW is investing over $25 billion between now and 2018, creating an expected 20,000 jobs. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP STARTS ELECTRO-MOBILITY CAMPAIGN IN CHINA CEO Prof. Dr. Winterkorn: "We are launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history." Campaign gets underway with electric up!1 and e-Golf2 Over ˆ18 billion to be spent on new vehicles, technologies and plants up to 2018 Over 500,000 employees at more than 3,600 dealerships in 2018 Vehicle deliveries in China targeted to top 3.5 million for first time in 2014 Wolfsburg / Beijing, April 22, 2014: "The Volkswagen Group is once again assuming a pioneering role in China and launching the biggest initiative for e-mobility in China's automotive history," Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, announced at the Auto China motor show in Beijing. The initiative gets underway with the launch this year of the Volkswagen brand's electric up!1 and e-Golf2 models. While the Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid3 is already in the showrooms in China, the Group will be launching two further innovative plug-in hybrid vehicles there next year with the Audi A3 e-tron4 and the Golf GTE5.

More than half of Mazdas sold in 2018 are CX-5s, and other interesting sales facts

Last year was a seriously good year for carmakers. Overall, more vehicles were sold than in 2017, and the total number wasn't far off of the all-time record in 2016. Digging deeper into the numbers, you'll find some pretty usual stuff including the Ford F-Series still being the bestselling pickup truck in America, and a continued trend toward crossovers. But there are also some oddball factoids tucked in these sales reports, some that defy the trends, and some that are extremes of the public's buying preferences. We've compiled several interesting tidbits from last year's sales right here for your enjoyment. More than half of Mazda's sales were of CX-5s Yes, over half of all Mazda sales were of this one model. The company sold 300,325 cars in America last year, and 150,622 of them were CX-5 crossovers, or 50.1 percent. Just for emphasis, that means the other 49.8 percent of Mazda's sales were split among five other models, the Miata, 3, 6, CX-3 and CX-9. Breaking that down further, the second-best seller was the Mazda3 at 64,638, which isn't even half of the CX-5's sales. People are crazy for Mazda's middle crossover. Volkswagen actually sold more cars than crossovers It's clear that the crossover is the future king of car sales. For most mainstream brands, it already is. Chevy, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda and Nissan all sold more crossovers and SUVs than they did conventional sedans and hatchbacks. There are holdouts, though, and one of them is Volkswagen. At the end of 2018, the company sold 189,343 cars and 164,721 crossovers in the U.S. So that's one win for the classic car set, and it's justification for VW to maintain its car line for the foreseeable future. It's a bit of a hollow victory, though. Look closer and you'll see that car sales were down 28 percent from 2017, when VW sold 262,029 cars. Crossovers, on the other hand, jumped 112 percent from 2017 when 77,647 crossovers moved through U.S. dealers. So expect the tables to turn very soon. Mustang is still the muscle-car sales king, but Challenger is the only one to improve Once again, the Ford Mustang topped the muscle-car sales charts, beating out the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro. Ford moved 75,842 of the ponies in 2018, while Dodge sold 66,716 Challengers for second place, and Chevy sold 50,963 Camaros to bring up the rear.