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Coronavirus prompts VW to stop production throughout Europe

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group, the world's biggest carmaker, is suspending production at factories across Europe as the coronavirus pandemic hits sales and disrupts supply chains, the company said on Tuesday. The German carmaker, which owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat and Skoda brands, also said that uncertainty about the fallout from coronavirus meant it was impossible to give forecasts for its performance this year. "Given the present significant deterioration in the sales situation and the heightened uncertainty regarding parts supplies to our plants, production is to be suspended in the near future at factories operated by group brands," Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Tuesday. Volkswagen's powerful works council concluded it was not possible for workers to maintain a safe distance from each other to prevent contagion and recommended a suspension of production at its factories from Friday. Production will be halted at VW's Spanish plants, in Setubal in Portugal, Bratislava in Slovakia and at the Lamborghini and Ducati plants in Italy before the end of this week, Diess said. Most of its other German and European factories will prepare to suspend production, probably for two to three weeks, while Audi said separately it would halt output at its plants in Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Mexico. Volkswagen's vast factories in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Puebla, Mexico, and plants in Brazil were not affected, but that would depend on how the coronavirus spreads, VW said. Volkswagen has 124 production sites worldwide of which 72 are in Europe, with 28 in Germany alone. "2020 will be a very difficult year. The coronavirus pandemic presents us with unknown operational and financial challenges. At the same time, there are concerns about sustained economic impacts," Diess said.   Production in China resumes Volkswagen Group sold 10.96 million vehicles last year, putting it ahead of Toyota based on the latest figures from the Japanese carmaker. Globally, VW employs 671,000 people and it delivered 4.86 million vehicles to European customers in 2019. Only last month the car and truck maker based in Wolfsburg, Germany, predicted that vehicle deliveries this year would match 2019 sales and forecast an operating return on sales in the range of 6.5% to 7.5%. "The spread of coronavirus is currently impacting the global economy. It is uncertain how severely or for how long this will also affect the Volkswagen Group.

2022 Acura MDX and a trio of lovely sedans | Autoblog Podcast #662

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week, they talk about the cars they've been driving, including the 2021 Volkswagen Arteon, 2021 Kia K5 GT, 2022 Acura MDX and long-term 2021 Acura TLX. In this week's news, they talk about the possibility of a Nissan Xterra return and break down what's going on over at Lotus — the British sports car company is axing its current lineup and replacing the Elise, Exige and Evora with a new car called the Type 131. Autoblog Podcast #662 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:2021 Volkswagen Arteon 2021 Kia K5 GT 2022 Acura MDX 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec News Return of the Nissan Xterra nameplate? Lotus Type 131 replacing the entire Lotus lineup Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Impala bi-fuel sales; VW e-Up fire

Chevrolet has delivered about 200 units of its bi-fuel Impala so far. The automaker originally planned to begin sales in summer of 2014, but was delayed over a year due to quality concerns. Now, the bi-fuel Impala, which runs on both gasoline and CNG, has begun delivery, mostly to commercial and fleet customers. The car begins at $38,210 (including destination charges), and will be available at 3,200 US dealerships. Production of a 2016 model is underway. Read more at Green Car Reports. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $35 million in funding for hydrogen and fuel cell technology projects. The money will support research and development, manufacturing, and early deployment of the technologies. The DOE also wants to bring together consortia to work together on fuel cell cost, performance, and durability, as well as hydrogen storage research. "As FCEVs become increasingly commercially available, the Energy Department is focused on advancements to enable hydrogen infrastructure including production, delivery, storage, and manufacturing, as well as continuing to reduce fuel cell cost and improve durability," the DOE said in a statement. Read more from the DOE. A Volkswagen e-Up! caught fire after a collision with a train in Norway. The driver, Christopher Traasdahl Saether, was able to jump from the electric Volkswagen before the train hit, and was physically unharmed. It also appears that there were no injuries among the passengers on the train. "It was quite a way to start the day," says Saether. A photographer at the scene reported that the car burst into flames when a salvage crew attempted to remove the wreckage from the railway crossing. See the video and read more (in Norwegian) from Fredriksstad Blad. Featured Gallery 2015 Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel View 14 Photos Related Gallery 2014 Volkswagen e-Up!: Quick Spin View 20 Photos News Source: Green Car Reports, DOE, Fredrikstad BladImage Credit: Chevrolet Government/Legal Green Chevrolet Volkswagen Alternative Fuels Safety Electric Natural Gas Vehicles recharge wrapup