Super Clean 2004 Volkswagen Passat 1.8t Sedan 4-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Final Volkswagen Eos to leave the plant in May

Volkswagen has made no secret of its plans to wind down production of the Eos hardtop convertible, and the automaker has already celebrated the model's retirement in the US with the Final Edition (pictured above). However, the company now has an actual time for that end to come. The final Eos rolls off the line from the VW factory in Portugal in May, according to Germany's Automobilwoche, and European customers have until March 27 to get any final orders in. The company has no plans to offer a successor, it previously indicated. After about nine years of production and some 230,000 made, the Eos proved to be a success, at least in its home market of Germany. A VW spokesperson told Automobilwoche it was the country's bestselling hardtop convertible at one point, but customer preferences have changed toward preferring soft-top models. That switch spelled doom for the Eos. Drivers who want some wind in their hair still have some choices in the VW lineup. The Beetle Convertible remains on sale in the US, and Europeans also get the droptop Golf. Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen Eos Final Edition: Quick Spin View 18 Photos News Source: AutomobilwocheImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL Plants/Manufacturing Volkswagen Convertible portugal

VW's diesel problems could end in criminal prosecution

It's not just auto industry insiders who are re-evaluating their thoughts on VW's diesel line-up following last week's bombshell accusation that the German automaker willfully installed software in almost a half-million diesel vehicles sold in the US to get around government emissions tests. Things are moving fast in what is already being called "dieselgate," but here are some of the big news items that we've learned since VW CEO Martin Winterkorn issued an apology yesterday. The biggest news is that both the US and German governments are looking into criminal prosecutions. Here, the US Justice Department has started a criminal investigation and Germany said that its Federal Motor Transport Authority will get involved. When the full history about all of this is written, two key players will be John German and Peter Mock from the International Council on Clean Transportation. They were the researchers responsible for actually calculating the emissions, and thus discovered that what was coming out of the tailpipe and what VW was telling the EPA did not match up. Once the EPA understood what was going on, it forced VW to either explain things all of its 2016 models would not receive certification. Sales of all VW diesels in the US have indeed been stopped, and the EPA says it will take a closer look at all light-duty diesel vehicles in the US. The re-engineered 2016 Volkswagen Passat is being launched in New York today. Two senior Volkswagen executives who were supposed to attend the event - Heinz-Jakob Neusser, VW's board member in charge of technical development and Herbert Diess, chairman of the VW brand's management board - have cancelled. An Audi vehicle is among the VW Group's vehicles affected by this issue, the A3 TDI. Given that VW has admitted in some fashion to installing the "defeat device" to get around the emissions tests, Audi's slogan "Truth In Engineering" now sounds less than perfect. Yes, there is already talk of class-action lawsuits. Nothing official is out yet, but expect to hear more about this in the near future.

VW to pay $1B in settlement with US government over V6 diesels

Volkswagen and the US government have come to a settlement for the civil claims against the automaker's 3.0-liter, diesel V6s. Over 83,000 V6 TDI-powered models are currently prowling US roads in violation of emissions laws. The settlement allows VW to recall over 75 percent of its cheating V6 diesels – about 63,000 units – and bring them into compliance. These represent newer VW Touaregs, Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, and Q7s, and Porsche Cayennes built between 2013 and 2016. According to the company, the recall will bring these so-called Generation Two engines up to emissions specs, provided the EPA and CARB okay the modifications. Should the regulators say no to VW's tweaks, the company will buy back or terminate leases with the affected owners. For older V6 TDIs built between 2009 and 2012, Volkswagen will do broadly the same thing, only in reverse. It will lead with buy backs of older Touaregs and Q7s – the only vehicles the company sold with the earlier engines – but could offer fixes if EPA/CARB give the okay. As part of its agreement over the emissions-cheating V6s, Volkswagen will contribute $225 million to the "environmental remediation trust" it established as part of its settlement over cheating 2.0-liter TDIs. VW is also on the hook for $25 million with CARB, bringing the total for the six-cylinder part of its emissions cheating scandal to around $1 billion, Automotive News reports. This initial agreement still needs approval from US District Court Judge Charles Breyer. Related Video: