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VW gets help from Daimler to deal with VW scandal

Volkswagen has hired Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, a compliance officer, away from Daimler. Normally, this wouldn't be particularly big news. The reason you might care is summed up rather succinctly by Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, who said that Hohmann-Dennhardt is being tasked with helping the entire German automobile industry "clean up the collateral damage from the diesel deceit." Hohmann-Dennhardt had to be released early from her contract with Daimler in order to take on this difficult role with an inter-country rival. VW Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch thanked "Daimler AG for agreeing to our request to the early termination of Dr. Hohmann-Dennhardt's contract." What makes this move even more interesting is that Daimler and Volkswagen have had a terse relationship in recent years due to the poaching of important employees from one side to the other. According to Bloomberg, Hohmann-Dennhardt's contract with Daimler had been secured through February of 2017, but with her early release, she will start her new role on VW's board of management in January of 2016. Daimler, for its part, released a statement suggesting the decision was made "in the interests of the good corporate governance of the German automotive industry." Prior to her employment at Daimler, Hohmann-Dennhardt served for 11 years as a judge. Reading between the lines, it seems VW's massive corporate scandal has rocked the German auto industry to its core. Enough so, in fact, that Daimler would be willing to let go of a highly talented and well-respected executive – the first woman ever appointed to the German automaker's board – who had served since there since 2011. Feel free to read through VW's entire statement, below. Related Video: Dr. Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt to move to Volkswagen AG in 2016 as Board Member for Integrity and Legal Affairs Daimler AG agrees to move of Board Member for Integrity and Legal Affairs to Volkswagen AG The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, Hans Dieter Potsch, has requested the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler AG, Dr. Manfred Bischoff, to agree to the early termination of the contract with Dr. Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG for Integrity and Legal Affairs, which runs until February 28, 2017. She is to join the Volkswagen Group as of January 1, 2016 as the Board Member for Integrity and Legal Affairs.

Mercedes-AMG to phase out 5.5-liter V8 after next year [UPDATE]

UPDATE: A previous version of this story indicated that AMG's 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 was still mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, however the latest models (including the S65 AMG sedan and coupe, SL65 roadster and G65 sport-ute are equipped with the newer seven-speed unit. Mercedes also reached out to point out that the 5.5-liter engine will be phased out gradually, not overnight. There's a lot to love about AMG's 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8. It produces as much as 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, and delivers blistering performance to even the heaviest of vehicles. But try not to get too attached, because like its 6.2-liter, naturally aspirated predecessor, it's not long for this world. The latest word comes from Autocar, which reports that Mercedes will release the last applications for the 5.5 biturbo within these next two calendar years in the new GLE63 AMG and upcoming S63 AMG convertible. After that, even though it was only introduced in 2011, it will be phased out. Fortunately Affalterbach has a worthwhile successor already in place in the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from the Mercedes-AMG GT. The smaller powerplant, already in store for the new C63, is already producing 503 hp and 479 lb-ft in S spec. That's still shy of the larger unit's output, but where the 5.5 is nearing the end of its production cycle, the 4.0 is just starting out. Of course the 4.0-liter biturbo isn't the only engine AMG is making these days. Smaller models (based on the front-drive platform) employ the 45-designation, high-output 2.0-liter turbo four. Models at the very top of the lineup, however, use a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 that may be a dinosaur, but with 621 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque on tap, still can't be beat.

Daimler cutting Mercedes and Smart prices by 18% in Switzerland

Automakers including Daimler and PSA are now offering substantial discounts in Switzerland to make it more affordable for Swiss customers to buy their cars, according to the latest from Bloomberg. The move, instituted by two of Europe's largest automakers, comes in response to the surprise decision last week by the Swiss National Bank to suddenly abandon its longstanding policy of capping trading of the Swiss Franc to 1.20 francs per euro. The policy has sent the value of the franc soaring, making imports into Switzerland less expensive while increasing the value of its exports. The discounts being offered by the automakers could therefore be viewed more as price adjustments to better match the changing currency value rather than an actual incentive. But whichever way you look at it, a new Mercedes or Smart will now cost Swiss buyers 18 percent less than the list price, while Peugeot and Citroen dealers in the Confoederatio Helvetica are chopping 1,000 francs ($1,144) off the price of a new passenger car or 1,500 francs ($1,716) for a new commercial vehicle. Conversely, high-end Swiss watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe are looking at increasing their prices to keep up with the currency fluctuation, particularly in Japan, where the yen has dropped 17 percent against the franc in the past few days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Sandro Campardo/Keystone/AP Mercedes-Benz smart Car Buying Citroen Peugeot switzerland