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German prosecutors have recorded calls between VW bigwigs talking dieselgate

It's barely possible to believe how poorly Volkswagen continues to handle dieselgate. Depending on which day you catch the news, the German carmaker embodies the corporate venality of "Michael Clayton," the comic blundering of the Coen Brothers' "Burn After Reading," and the every-man-for-himself vengeance of "Reservoir Dogs." Today is Tarantino day, with news that German prosecutors have recordings of phone calls between former Audi and Porsche development boss Wolfgang Hatz, ex-Volkswagen Group executive Matthias Muller, and current Porsche executives Oliver Blume and Michael Steiner. Hatz made the calls to the trio in November 2015, two months after Volkswagen admitted its diesel-particulate sins to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hatz was still employed at the time, and in his company car. Who recorded the calls? His wife. Hatz and his missus apparently saw the storm coming and started stacking defenses early. Hatz's wife, who can be heard encouraging Hatz during at least one call, sent the recordings to Hatz's attorney from her mobile phone. According to a Google translation of the German newspaper Handelsblatt's report, she included the note, "Here is a very long, but quite informative conversation on the current situation with useful formulations." The report in Handelsblatt said that in Germany it is generally "not allowed" to record a conversation and pass it on to a third party. We don't know how the authorities will handle this matter, since prosecutors found the recordings in e-mail attachments on Mrs. Hatz's mobile phone. Remember, when the diesel scandal broke, VW spent months saying that only a small number of low-level personnel were behind it, and all of the higher-ups had been blindsided. Ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn claimed to be "stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group." Winterkorn successor Matthias Muller said, "according to current information, a few developers interfered in the engine management." Former VW USA honcho Michael Horn told a congressional committee that "a couple of software engineers" programmed the software for reasons no one could understand. In the recorded conversations, Hatz apparently called Muller to find out how VW planned to treat him.

Volkswagen plugs new Passat GTE into European outlets

It's been the better part of a year since Volkswagen first announced the Passat GTE and revealed it at the Paris Motor Show. And now the German automaker is finally bringing it to market. That is, at least, certain markets, anyway. The new GTE broadens the range of the European-market Passat (which is entirely different from the model we get here) with a plug-in hybrid for the first time. It follows the emergence of the Golf GTE which has a similar setup. The gasoline-electric powertrain marries a 1.4-liter turbo four to an electric motor and a dual-clutch transmission, producing a combined 215 horsepower. It can also be switched into pure electric mode, giving it a battery-powered range of 31 miles and warranting exemption from congestion charges in London and other such cities. VW will offer the Passat GTE in both sedan and Variant wagon forms, with sales already beginning in select markets and broadening across Europe this fall. Asian markets can expect to see the new plug-in by year-end as well. Interested US customers will just have to admire this particular model from afar. New Passat GTE launches as saloon and Variant - Volkswagen continues e-motoring offensive with plug-in hybrid - Passat GTE delivers 218 PS and travels up to 50 kilometres on all-electric power - First Volkswagen plug-in hybrid in the high-volume segment of large family cars The Volkswagen continues to electrify! Following the Golf GTE*, comes the next high-volume model with a plug-in drive system: this time the German carmaker is electrifying the new Passat GTE. Its launch marks the debut of a new generation of business and family cars – zero-emission vehicle and long-distance touring car all in one. A Volkswagen that combines the present and the future. A car that boasts not only one of the most progressive drive systems of our time, but also an array of innovative assistance and infotainment systems that is ground-breaking in the segment of large family cars. With superb system output of 160 kW / 218 PS, frugal NEDC consumption of just 1.6 l/100 km and 12.2 kWh/100 km (Variant: 12.4 kWh) and an all-electric range of up to 50 kilometres, the Passat GTE defines a new level of efficiency in its class. Under normal operating conditions the new Volkswagen always begins its journey in all-electric and thus emission-free mode. This E-Mode can also be activated at the push of a button, for example towards the end of a journey as you enter a city.

CEO says Volkswagen's buying spree is over

After adding Italian motorcycle icon Ducati to its stable and spending $5.6 billion on the rest of Porsche, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he's done shopping for a while.
"We have enough to do at the moment in taking our twelve brands to where we want to be," Winterkorn tells German newspaper Handelsblatt.