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VW stripped of Green Car Of The Year awards for Jetta, A3 diesels

In the wake of the ongoing VW diesel scandal, Green Car Journal has announced it will rescind the two Green Car Of The Year awards that the Volkswagen Group won with diesel vehicles that have been since been proven to not meet the stated emissions levels. The two vehicles are the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, which won in 2008, and the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, which won in 2010. Green Car Journal (GCJ) did not say if it would retroactively name any replacement winners. This is the first time in the history of the Green Car Of The Year Awards that the honor has been taken away from the winner. In a statement announcing the change, GCJ publisher Ron Cogan wrote that, "this award rescission should not cast a negative light on advanced diesel technology in general. Many diesel models from a variety of auto manufacturers meet EPA and CARB emissions standards, bringing with them higher fuel efficiency, decreased petroleum use, and lower carbon emissions – all important environmental goals." VW AND AUDI RETURNING GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR® AWARDS, VEHICLES DEEMED INELIGIBLE SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., Sept. 30, 2015 – Green Car Journal is rescinding the Green Car of the Year® awards previously honoring the 2009 VW Jetta TDI and 2010 Audi A3 TDI, the first time this has occurred in the award program's decade-long history. Audi of America President Scott Keogh has informed Green Car Journal that Audi will return its 2010 Green Car of the Year® award in the wake of Volkswagen Group's admission that it deliberately deceived government authorities about emissions from the Audi A3 TDI. Volkswagen of America has also informed Green Car Journal it will return its 2009 Green Car of the Year® award for the VW Jetta TDI. "Rescinding the Green Car of the Year® awards for the VW Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI is unfortunate but appropriate," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. "These models were selected as Green Car of the Year® above others for compelling reasons, including high fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, a fun-to-drive nature, and the ability to meet 50 state emissions requirements with advanced diesel technology." However, VW Group has now admitted that its software programming intentionally caused in-lab emissions testing to read significantly lower nitrogen oxide emissions than these vehicles actually produced on the road.

The new Audi A8 moves upmarket and gains artificial intelligence

Audi is moving its largest sedan further up the luxury scale with the latest version of the A8. As Audi's flagship, the A8 naturally gets the best and newest technologies that the brand has to offer, including a range of mild-hybrid powertrains, a 48-volt electrical system, standard Quattro all-wheel drive, a lavish lounge-inspired interior, and automated driving systems. Two wheelbase lengths will be offered, the A8L getting a 5.1-inch stretch over the standard A8. The A8 also sets the style direction that the rest of Audi's lineup will emulate. While some of Audi's competitors will likely take umbrage at the claim that the A8 is "the first production automobile in the world to have been developed for highly automated driving," there are some new technologies for self-driving employed by Audi's flagship. At speeds of up to 37.3 miles per hour, the Audi AI traffic jam pilot takes control of starting, accelerating, steering and braking duties, allowing the driver to perform other tasks not related to driving... like watching the on-board TV, says Audi. Audi AI technology brings artificial intelligence to the A8. The AI system will presumably learn the driver's habits, likes, dislikes, and regular routes, and will make recommendations based on all that data. The Audi AI remote parking pilot and the Audi AI remote garage pilot perform exactly what you think based on their names, and the driver doesn't have to be in the car to make them work using a smartphone app. The 48-volt electrical system also exerts control over the A8's suspension. Not only can the system raise and lower each of the car's four wheels independently, it can position the A8 in a way to improve safety in an accident. Four-wheel steering with a variable ratio up front should make the big sedan stable at high speed and maneuverable at low speeds. Five engines will eventually be available in Audi's home market of Germany, and we'd assume some of those will come Stateside as well. Two 3.0-liter V6 engines – one gas and one diesel – will be optional at production time. The gas version puts out 340 horsepower. A gasoline-fed V8 will follow shortly thereafter with 460 horsepower, and a range-topping W12 will eventually be available with 585 horses. A belt alternator starter system is standard across the line. Later, an A8 L e-tron Quattro plug-in hybrid will hit the road with 449 total horsepower, 31.1 miles of electric range and a cool inductive wireless charging system.

Audi planning A9 electric vehicle to challenge Tesla

It looks like we have another "Tesla Fighter" on our hands. Various higher-end automakers have announced plug-in luxury sports sedans that would likely take on the California-based electric-vehicle maker, and Audi now appears to have joined that group. The badge is A9, and it may be available to the public by the end of the decade, UK's Autocar reports. The Audi A9 E-Tron could be a beast. The car will deliver 429 horsepower via three electric motors – two driving the front wheels, one driving the rear. The sedan will be equipped with a 95-kilowatt-hour battery that will enable a 310-mile single-charge range (on the more generous European driving cycle). Lots of parts and features will be shared with the battery-electric SUV Audi is also planning. Where it really gets fun is the prospect of the sedan having "torque vectoring," in which power can be shifted from side to side in order to boost handling. Additionally, the car could have a wireless, inductive charging option as well as an auto-parking feature for positioning over the floor-mounted charging module. No word on how this car will be priced, but we're guessing quite high. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has gone on record saying that the German automaker wants to have three all-electric models available to the public by 2020, though hasn't said anything specific about a high-end battery-electric sedan that would be geared to take on the Tesla Model S. The company did introduce its E-tron Quattro concept last year, though, and Audi has said it aims to have as much as 25 percent of its sales be of the plug-in variety by 2025. There's a chance for that if the A9 e-tron is as enticing as it appears to be. Related Video: