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VW brands excluded from Wards 10 Best Engines for 2016

You definitely won't be seeing a powerplant from Volkswagen or Audi on the 2016 Ward's 10 Best Engines list. In a serious rebuke against them, WardsAuto is excluding all VW/Audi powertrains for at least this year after the German automakers' ongoing emissions regulations evasions. There's no guarantee of the companies returning for 2017, either. In a story on its website, WardsAuto executive editor Tom Murphy writes that the ban lasts "until we are convinced the culture of deceit has been purged, fines have been paid and regulators are satisfied." That could be a while, the way things are looking. The exclusion knocks three powertrains out of the running for this year's list. As a winner last year, WardsAuto would usually test VW's 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder again for 2016. Plus, it planned to check out the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Audi A6 and the plug-in hybrid from the A3 Sportback E-Tron. In the story, Murphy finds VW's actions particularly despicable because of what they could be doing to the popularity of diesel passenger cars in this country. "BMW, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler also sell light-duty diesel engines in the US, but their sales outlook suddenly has grown murky, thanks to VW's shenanigans," he writes. So far, Jaguar Land Rover is remaining confident of US consumers continuing to buy diesel models, though. We'll be able to see the real effects of VW and Audi's ban in a few months because the 2016 Ward's 10 Best Engines will be published December 10. With two major automakers out of the running, their rivals will likely greet this as a better chance to make the grade.

Giorgetto Giugiaro sells shares in legendary styling house to Audi

Giorgetto Giugiaro undoubtedly stands among the great automotive designers of the 20th century, having penned the original Volkswagen Golf and Delorean DMC-12, among countless others. However, the great stylist is now longer an employee or even an owner of the company that bears his name. According to Automotive News, Giugiaro and his son, Fabrizio, sold their remaining 9.9 percent of Italdesign Giugiaro to Audi on Sunday, June 28, and the two resigned from the business the following day. The news about this just came out, though. The exact reason that the two men left the company hasn't been made entirely clear. According to Automotive News, a statement said that Giorgetto Giugiaro went "to dedicate more time to his personal interests." Italdesign Giugiaro remains open and intends to keep growing, though, the same announcement asserts. After stints at Bertone and Ghia, Giugiaro founded Italdesign in 1968. He created some masterpieces there, including '70s wedges like Maserati Merak, Lotus Esprit, and much more. The 2000s weren't so kind and 90.1 percent of the company was sold to Volkswagen Group in 2010. Former Audi design boss Wolfgang Egger took over styling duties there in late 2013, but he only lasted for about a year, leaving in late 2014. Since the sale, Italdesign has continued to work, including with the Gea concept at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and the very mean-looking Parcour in 2013. Giugiaro's designs are still highly prized, as well. On September 5, Bonhams is auctioning the Maserati Boomerang concept by him and expects to get around $4 million for it. The gallery above offers a few more examples of his and Italdesign's concepts for VW Group over the years.

Dealers, owners feel betrayed by VW scandal

Bob Rand bought his Volkswagen Passat last year for its clean emissions and high gas mileage. He liked the car so much he convinced his son and a friend to buy one, too. Now, as Volkswagen comes clean about rigging diesel emissions to pass US tests, Rand is desperately trying to sell the fully loaded model with white leather seats for $10,000 below what he paid. His sole bite has been from a man who offered $7,500 on speculation that he could resell it in Mexico. "Volkswagen was somebody that you could rely on for cutting-edge products and quality and all those things and now you find out that they're not above lying just flat out," said Rand, who plans to join a class-action lawsuit against VW. "That's probably about as bad a thing as a company can do is lie to your face when you're buying a $35,000 car." Rand's anger at the world's top-selling car company was echoed Wednesday by private dealers, auto wholesalers and owners across the US as fallout from the smog test trickery mounted. The US Environmental Protection Agency first disclosed Friday that stealth software makes VW's 2009-2015 model cars powered by 2.0-liter diesel engines run cleaner during emissions tests than in actual driving. On Wednesday, CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned and took responsibility for the "irregularities" found by US inspectors - a scandal that has wiped out billions in the company's market value and raised the possibility of criminal investigations and billions more in fines. The revelations left dealers sitting on hundreds of diesel cars they could not sell. Many also dealt with a flood of angry calls, emails and tweets from Volkswagen owners who felt betrayed because they believed they had bought a car that polluted less without sacrificing the good gas mileage and performance that comes with a diesel engine. "I think their feet should be held to the fire." - Joe DeCarolis "I think their feet should be held to the fire. I think apologies don't mean anything when something is so premeditated," said Joe DeCarolis, of Cary, NC, who owns a 2012 TDI Jetta Sport Wagon — a car he bought after careful comparison shopping for its clean emissions and good gas mileage. Dealers can't give customers good answers because Volkswagen hasn't said a whole lot, said AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson, the leader of the largest auto dealership chain in the US.