2014 Volkswagen Tiguan Se on 2040-cars

Auto blog

West Virginia sues VW for fraud, asks for major financial penalty

It took just four researchers, including two students, at West Virginia University doing some emissions tests eventually to engulf Volkswagen in an international scandal that has been raging for weeks. Now, the state's attorney general Patrick Morrisey has filed a formal complaint against the automaker's US branch for violating the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. His argument alleges that VW "fraudulently manufactured, advertised, and sold" these polluting diesel vehicles as being good for the environment. If the West Virginia case is successful, VW could be on the hook for serious monetary punishment. Morrisey asks that any consumers in the state get refunds totaling the premium paid over a gasoline model, the loss in resale value, and the expected costs of lost performance from the upcoming recall repair. On top of that, the automaker would pay the state $5,000 for each violating vehicle and all of the related costs for preparing for the trial. According to the complaint's legal documents (here, as a PDF), the state's DMV currently shows 2,684, diesel 2009-2015 VW vehicles registered there. Morrisey isn't the only state attorney general to take a stern look at VW's actions, and his counterparts in at least 29 other states are investigation similar courses of action, as well. In addition, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency have their own probes underway. The final result could be very expensive for the automaker. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey Files Complaint Against Volkswagen of America, LLC 10/5/2015 CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced today that his Office filed a complaint against Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen), alleging the business violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. The complaint alleges that Volkswagen fraudulently manufactured, advertised and sold a line of "clean diesel" vehicles with Turbo-charged Direct Injection (TDI) engines. "Volkswagen allegedly knowingly engineered certain vehicles to cheat U.S. emissions tests," Attorney General Morrisey said. "That is one reason why we have filed this complaint." A May 2014 study conducted by the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines & Emissions at West Virginia University found elevated levels of emissions on several Volkswagen cars. Their data was then turned over to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board.

VW going turbo-only in 3 to 4 years

This really was a matter of when, rather than if. Volkswagen will apparently be the first manufacturer to phase out naturally aspirated engines in favor of turbocharging its full slate. VW is kind of responsible for ushering in this push towards small-displacement, turbocharged engines that's taken the industry by storm. When it dropped its direct-injection, 2.0-liter turbo in the 2005 GTI it demonstrated that strapping an iron long to an engine can enhance the powertrain as a whole. VW made fuel economy gains, while also giving a linear, non-laggy turbo experience that it has replicated, model-after-model, to this day.
Speaking with The Detroit News, Volkswagen's executive Vice President of Group Quality, Marc Trahan, told the paper that, "We only have one normally aspirated gas engine, and when we go to the next generation vehicle that it's in, it will be replaced. So three, four years maximum."
Really, it's hard to get teary-eyed about either of these engines going away. VW has access to smaller powerplants that could easily match the performance of the 2.5 five-cylinder and the 3.6 V6, while gobbling up less fuel and providing a better driving experience. What we are sad about is that a similar statement about the extinction of NA engines came from the Vice President of Powertrain Engineering at Ford, Joe Bakaj. We'd certainly get teary-eyed over a world without Ford's excellent 5.0-liter V8.

Recharge Wrap-up: Arcimoto SRK video, BAIC EV at CES

Kelley Blue Book took a spin in the Arcimoto SRK three-wheeled EV at CES in Las Vegas. In the video above, KBB Managing Editor Micah Muzio gets behind the handlebars for a spin around an empty parking lot. He notes a gradual throttle tip-in, though from the video, it appears the trike has a bit of pep. While the hydraulic brake pedal requires a bit of extra effort, the regenerative brake lever located on the right handlebar is effective and easy to use. The steering is a little heavy, but manageable, at low speeds. He calls it "kind of a fun little conveyance," adding, "Maybe this is the future." See the full review in the video above. CARB Chairman Mary Nichols spoke with German television about Volkswagen's emissions scandal. In a photo she posted on Twitter, Nichols can be seen in front of cameras with CARB's test bay in the background. In the bay is a Volkswagen Jetta TDI. She says in her tweet, "Discussing VW cheating case w/German TV in front of ARB lab test bay & '07 diesel Jetta. Time to move on to #EVs!" Late last year, a group of environmentalists and Silicon Valley leaders – Elon Musk included – sent Nichols an open letter suggesting CARB help urge Volkswagen to give up on diesels and focus on electric vehicles. See Nichols's post on Twitter. South Korea's most popular EV is the Renault Samsung Motors (RSM) SM3 ZE (also known as the Renault Fluence ZE). The all-electric vehicle has sold 1,767 units since its arrival in Korea since November 2013, with 2015 sales reaching 1,043 units. This makes one in three EVs in Korea a RSM SM3 ZE. The car has been selected as Korea's official government vehicle, and RSM has supplied over 100 EV taxis, 60 of which are in Seoul. Read more in the press release from Renault. BAIC EV announced it has established an R&D center in Detroit at CES. It will work with its other centers in Silicon Valley and Aachen, Germany in order to develop automotive technology and evaluate global demand. The EV branch of the Chinese automaker also debuted its i-Link information system, which uses 4G to connect car telematics to the cloud. The i-Link system also provides wireless phone charging, remote inquiry services and connects sensing technologies to the internet. Read more in the press release below.