Auto blog

Volkswagen Routan dead, pour out a sippy cup for your little homies

America's minivan wolfpack has just gotten smaller by one. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen officials have confirmed what we've suspected for some time - the Routan is dead. Essentially a lightly reworked version of the Dodge Grand Caravan, the Routan actually hasn't been rolling off of Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario production line at all this year, but VW had yet to confirm its discontinuation. However, Jonathan Browning, CEO of VW America, has reportedly admitted that the Routan is being axed, with remaining units expected to be funneled into corporate functions for "internal purposes."
The move isn't unexpected - the Routan has never been a big seller, with just 57,650 examples moved since sales began in 2008 - peak yearly sales totaled under 16,000 units, and that was back in 2010. And while many have talked of the minivan segment shrinking, Automotive News points out that the segment actually grew 14 percent last year to 597,118 units, though it should be noted that most segments have been on sales upticks as the US economy chugs out of its recession.
So, is volume-crazy Volkswagen prepared to pass on large family vehicle sales? Probably not - the German automaker has signaled that it plans to build a three-row crossover in North America soon, and we wouldn't be surprised if it looks an awful lot like the Crossblue Concept from January's Detroit Auto Show - minus the fancy plug-in diesel powertrain.

2014 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible gets the R-Line treatment

Volkswagen just launched the topless Beetle Convertible at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, but we're already seeing the next step forward in the topless Bug range with this, the R-Line. We'll admit, this treatment falls under the "all show and no go" category, but it's still a pretty potent little cutie.
The R-Line starts with a standard Beetle Turbo Convertible but adds unique 19-inch aluminum wheels on lower-profile tires, LED daytime running lamps and Xenon headlamps. Naturally, there are R-Line badges aplenty both on the interior and exterior, and we must say, the whole package looks pretty darn snazzy.
Pricing has yet to be announced, but when it goes on sale later this year, the hotter convertible will join Volkswagen's growing R-Line portfolio that now includes the CC, Beetle hatch, Tiguan and Touareg.

VW diesel scandal: South Korea could be next

To no one's surprise, there are constant new developments in the VW diesel scandal. We hit the main points in a number of posts recently, but there were other, smaller developments that we didn't put into their own post. Instead, we've collected them here. For our complete coverage of this issue, click here. There's a lot to digest, so here goes. To try and keep dealers happy, VW announced that it guarantee bonus payments to its US dealers this month worth $300 for every new car sold ($600 for each Passat). The automaker is also going to guarantee payments from the company's customer experience bonus program. A memo from VW's US chief Michael Horn said, "We understand the pressure these recent events have put your business under and we are committed to providing you support," according to Automotive News. You can see Horn speaking at an event Monday night above. There will be at least one more official investigation into just how widespread this issue. South Korea has now said it will look into the emissions numbers for around 4,000-5,000 cars there. The affected TDI engines can be found in two VW and one Audi models (Jetta, Golf and A3) in South Korea. In the US, there could be another investigation as well, since Senator John Thune, (R-SD), the chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has asked the Federal Trade Commission to take a closer look. A scandal this big is not only going to affect VW. To get ahead of any possible criticism, Bosch has issued a statement saying that yes, it does make parts for the 2-liter, 4-cylinder TDI engine that is at the heart of the problem. But, in a statement emailed to Reuters, said, "We produce the components after specification of Volkswagen. The responsibility for application and integration of the components lies with Volkswagen." Looking ahead, VW said in a new statement (available below) that its new EU 6 diesel engines do, " comply with legal requirements and environmental standards." That means that, supposedly, there's no "defeat device" needed to make these engines clean enough to pass strict environmental regulations. That'll be important if VW wants to keep marketing diesel as a clean fuel. For now, the tide seems to be turning against the automaker. Volkswagen AG has issued the following information: Volkswagen is working at full speed to clarify irregularities concerning a particular software used in diesel engines.