'71 Vw Camper Tintop **see Video** Xlnt - Looks & Runs Grt - Must See!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW lawyers up with firm that defended BP

The string of bad news for Volkswagen shows no sign of slowing yet, especially with the recent resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn. For aid in its legal defense in the US over its ongoing diesel emissions scandal, the automaker has now employed Kirkland & Ellis LLP, which was the same law firm BP used for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, according to Automotive News. VW is surely hoping that things go easier for it than BP. After the massive oil spill, the company paid $4 billion to settle criminal allegations and another $18.7 billion for the other federal and state claims, Automotive News reports. We'll see. Based on fines for each of the 482,000 diesel vehicles with this evasive software in the US, VW could be on the hook for $18 billion from this lapse. In addition, 11 million units are potentially affected across the globe, and the company is already setting aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.25 billion) in expected costs. The automaker's stock on the German exchange is being hit hard by this scandal. The original discovery of high pollution levels in VW's 2.0-liter TDI engine began with researchers last summer, and the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board had been working on the problem for months before the EPA issued its notice of violation on September 18. A criminal investigation has now begun. The day before his resignation, Winterkorn issued a video where he apologized profusely for the scandal and promised to make things right.

Will VW's rumored 186-mile EV battery be enough?

Just as there continues to be a horsepower war in the realm of performance cars, there's an ongoing battle over driving range among electric vehicles. Both the Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt are promising around 200 miles for a relatively affordable price in or around 2017. Plus, Nissan is reportedly nearing a 250-mile Leaf for about the same time and Ford might be joining the game, too. Volkswagen might be the latest potential challenger with some extra distance possible from its future EVs. According to Hybrid Cars, Volkswagen Chairman Martin Winterkorn tells Bild in Germany that the company is developing a new generation of battery tech with major gains, and it could reportedly provide a range of around 186 miles. That's more than double the current 83-mile EPA certified range for the e-Golf but falls short of the projections from competitors. Winterkorn didn't indicate exactly when this innovation would be ready for production, though. Especially in recent months, the German automaker is making serious moves towards big advancements in battery tech, and the company's platforms are largely already prepped to become EVs. The entire VW Group is reportedly considering moving to a single, unified lithium-ion cell design, and that switch could cut component costs by as much as 66 percent. In late 2014, the German automotive giant also bought five percent of the US-based startup QuantumScape. That business has claimed a staggering 430-mile range from its fireproof, solid-state lithium batteries, but the proof will need to be seen on the road – and in whatever the competition is able to accomplish whenever a car is finally available.

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.