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Audi to keep hiring workers despite VW diesel scandal

Even while Volkswagen contemplates delaying or canceling projects to pay for costs related to the massive diesel emissions scandal, its stablemate Audi is hiring, according to Reuters. Audi certainly isn't immune to the diesel scandal, with around 2.1 million affected vehicles worldwide including 13,000-14,000 in the US, but the scandal so far isn't affecting staffing levels. "We are sticking with plans for strategic growth and are continuing to hire new employees as planned," Audi board member for human resources Thomas Sigi said in a German newspaper, according to Reuters. Sigi even suggested paying a "respectable" bonus to workers next year. Audi has some big projects on the horizon, too. Among them, the company intends to launch a production version of the E-Tron Quattro Concept in 2018, and for performance fans a new TT RS appears to be on the way. The new A4 should be a big contributor to global volume when its worldwide rollout is complete. Rather than allowing the diesel scandal to hurt all of its divisions, the VW Group instead wants to concentrate the fallout (and costs) on the VW brand, according to Reuters. Those expenses could be huge. Volkswagen is budgeting around $7.3 billion just to repair the 11 million emissions-cheating vehicles. Worldwide, maximum estimates put the whole mess at $87 billion. Related Video:

Porsche again staring down another $1.8B in hedge fund lawsuits

The sequence of events from 2007 that began with Porsche's secret attempt to take over Volkswagen, and instead lead to Porsche being taken over by VW, continues to instigate lawsuits against the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer. A group of hedge funds that suffered over $1 billion in losses sued the car company in New York. Porsche had publicly stated it wasn't trying to buy VW, the hedge funds in question were shorting VW stock, and when Porsche's actual intentions were revealed, the stock shot up and the hedge funds took a beating.
The case was thrown out over the issue of jurisdiction, then appealed, only to see another suit filed on top of that. After that, most of the hedge funds withdrew their claims in New York and Porsche offered a 90-day window to refile in Germany where it is already fighting a number of other suits over the same issue. The hedge funds accepted the offer, refiling in Stuttgart for $1.8 billion in damages. According to Bloomberg, Porsche hasn't commented on the refiling, but as the same plaintiffs are involved, it's safe to assume that the carmaker still feels the case is "unsubstantiated and without merit." It has fared alright so far even in German courts, with two lesser cases against it thrown out last year.

VW pits Foust against Winslow in epic sound-effects battle

Tanner, we feel your pain. You are, by all accounts, an excellent driver. You've won races, starred in television shows, and generally proven yourself a nice all-around guy. And then Volkswagen shows up and asks you to be as childish as possible for a couple laughs on video as you make pretend driving sounds for the German brand's latest ad campaign. How demeaning. And then, to top it all off, they bring Michael Winslow, the king of noise-making merriment, to one-up you. How could they? Just kidding. Really, the videos you see above and below are pretty clever, highlighting the same 18th letter of the alphabet that is affixed to the Golf R, a car we're deeply in lust with. And, to be honest, Tanner's goofy driving sounds are just as good as Mr. Winslow's. See for yourself. And if you feel like acting out your own inner child on VW's behalf, feel free to click here. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. NEW VOLKSWAGEN 'UNLEASH YOUR RRRR' CAMPAIGN ALLOWS USERS TO DRIVE A VIRTUAL GOLF R WITH SOUND OF VOICE Deep learning, an artificial intelligence subset of machine learning, analyzes each unique vocal pitch to create customized film of Golf R driving in sync with the sound of the user's voice Herndon, VA (July 13, 2015) — Volkswagen of America, Inc., is excited to unveil the Unleash Your Rrrr site that allows Volkswagen fans to drive a virtual Golf R using only the sound of voice. The web app utilizes deep learning, an artificial intelligence subset of machine learning, developed by VW's agency of record Deutsch LA, to analyze each user's unique impression of the Golf R engine's roar. It then generates a customized video of the 292-hp turbocharged Golf R model roaring through a race track, drifting, braking, among other cool stunts that correspond with the user's voice recording. "The idea behind the Golf R 'Unleash Your Rrrr' was simple – imagination. As children, we've all played with toy cars, and the power of our imaginations allowed us to turn rugs into expressways and wooden floors into slick racetracks. Our voice would act as the engine. Fast forward to today where we now have the power of technology to enhance our imagination, and to visualize the power of our voice." said Vinay Shahani, Vice President of Marketing for Volkswagen of America.