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VW builds 250,000th Passat in Chattanooga in just two years

It hasn't been without incident or union organizing drive, but the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN has built its 250,000 Passat in just a little over two years. The Night Blue Passat TDI with black leather has come just two years and five weeks after the first customer car came off the line on April 18, 2011.
In the last year the plant operated at the 150,000-unit capacity that it was intended for, but the downturn in Passat sales and subsequent worker layoffs mean it will be a challenge to repeat the feat. The plant does have the world's largest solar park, though, and you can't take that away from them.
You'll find the official hand-clapping in the press release below.

VW recalls 25k Jettas over low-beam headlight issue

Volkswagen has discovered an issue with the headlamps on its latest Jetta and is issuing a recall notice in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to correct the issue. The problem revolves around the headlight control module, which has been found in certain instances to switch off the low-beam headlights when the high beams are turned on. Needless to say, that could result in insufficient illumination in the dark, so VW is moving to update the module's software. The issue only affects the new 2015 Jetta – specifically those manufactured between July 11, 2014 (which just happens to be this writer's birthday, thank you very much) and November 13, 2014. All in all, the Volkswagen Group of America estimates that encompasses 25,007 units in the United States, the owners of which can expect to hear from their dealers in the new year. RECALL Subject : Insufficient Headlight Output Report Receipt Date: DEC 15, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V790000 Component(s): EXTERIOR LIGHTING Potential Number of Units Affected: 25,007 All Products Associated with this Recall close VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 2015 Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. SUMMARY: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Jetta vehicles manufactured July 11, 2014, to November 13, 2014. Due to incorrect software within the headlight control module, the low beam headlights may turn off when high beam lights are turned on. As a result, the light output from the headlights may be insufficient. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108. "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment." CONSEQUENCE: Insufficient headlight output may increase the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will update the headlight control module software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2015. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 57F6. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Autoblog Minute: VW 'tip of the iceberg' in diesel emissions scandal

Some are calling Volkswagen just the tip of the iceberg in the diesel emissions scandal. Autoblog's Adam Morath reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] Some are calling Volkswagen just the tip of the iceberg in the diesel emissions scandal. I'm Adam Morath and this is your Autoblog Minute. Here in the U.S. the EPA found defeat devices on certain Volkswagen vehicles. Across the pond however concerned environmentalist groups including [00:00:30] Transportation & Environment say that the issues could be more widespread in Europe. Nico Muzi, a spoken for Transportation and Environment was quoted in the Automotive News as saying: "Volkswagen is just the tip of the iceberg..." Muzi goes on to claim that cheating is widespread, and that results produced from European emissions tests, which are not administered by a government agency, show differences in data that "...are so much, it can't be explained." Clean vehicle manager at Transport & Environment Greg Archer spoke to Bloomberg Business about the need to reform emissions testing in Europe: [00:01:00] [Bloomberg Video Clip] While it's clear that automakers are engineering vehicles and software to perform well on emissions tests, the real question is whether or not other OEMs, besides Volkswagen, are using defeat devices to cheat the tests, either here or in Europe. For Autoblog, I'm Adam Morath. Green Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video vw diesel scandal