2011 Volkswagen Jetta Se on 2040-cars

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UCS replaces VW's green title with 'dirtiest tailpipe'

When it comes to tailpipe emissions, Volkswagen may have leapfrogged Ford and General Motors. Just not in the right direction. That's what the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is saying in the wake of the German automaker's diesel-emissions scandal. After recalculating what it thinks are the real-world diesel-engine tailpipe emissions levels now that we know about VW's "defeat devices," the UCS says the actual diesel emissions would cause the company's total fleet to worsen its environmental impact by about 25 percent. The VW diesels alone, which account for just 0.7 percent of new-vehicle sales, would most likely make up eight percent of total light-duty-vehicle tailpipe emissions, UCS says. Prior to the scandal, the UCS had VW tied with Toyota and Nissan for the third-cleanest fleet, behind Hyundai/Kia and Honda. The recalculated VW has been downgraded to Chrysler territory, which is, in effect, the bottom of the heap when it comes to tailpipe emissions. The UCS adds that the current VW diesels spew out the amount of emissions similar to a typical 2005 vehicle. So much for moving forward. You can read UCS' rather scathing synopsis here. UCS isn't the first entity to bump down Volkswagen's green-car credentials after the discovery that its diesels might be emitting as much as 40 times the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions during typical driving than official test results said they did, and isn't likely to be the last. In September, Green Car Journal stripped the 2009 VW Jetta TDI and 2010 Audi A3 TDI diesels of their Green Car Of The Year Awards. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) also removed VW diesel vehicles off of its "Green Scores" list last month.

West Virginia sues VW for fraud, asks for major financial penalty

It took just four researchers, including two students, at West Virginia University doing some emissions tests eventually to engulf Volkswagen in an international scandal that has been raging for weeks. Now, the state's attorney general Patrick Morrisey has filed a formal complaint against the automaker's US branch for violating the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. His argument alleges that VW "fraudulently manufactured, advertised, and sold" these polluting diesel vehicles as being good for the environment. If the West Virginia case is successful, VW could be on the hook for serious monetary punishment. Morrisey asks that any consumers in the state get refunds totaling the premium paid over a gasoline model, the loss in resale value, and the expected costs of lost performance from the upcoming recall repair. On top of that, the automaker would pay the state $5,000 for each violating vehicle and all of the related costs for preparing for the trial. According to the complaint's legal documents (here, as a PDF), the state's DMV currently shows 2,684, diesel 2009-2015 VW vehicles registered there. Morrisey isn't the only state attorney general to take a stern look at VW's actions, and his counterparts in at least 29 other states are investigation similar courses of action, as well. In addition, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency have their own probes underway. The final result could be very expensive for the automaker. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey Files Complaint Against Volkswagen of America, LLC 10/5/2015 CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced today that his Office filed a complaint against Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Volkswagen), alleging the business violated the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. The complaint alleges that Volkswagen fraudulently manufactured, advertised and sold a line of "clean diesel" vehicles with Turbo-charged Direct Injection (TDI) engines. "Volkswagen allegedly knowingly engineered certain vehicles to cheat U.S. emissions tests," Attorney General Morrisey said. "That is one reason why we have filed this complaint." A May 2014 study conducted by the Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines & Emissions at West Virginia University found elevated levels of emissions on several Volkswagen cars. Their data was then turned over to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board.

Andretti Autosport partners with Volkswagen for Global Rallycross season

Michael Andretti and Volkswagen have both been involved in Global Rallycross for a couple of years, but not together. Andretti Motorsports Marketing organized the final round of the 2012 GRC series in Las Vegas, and there were rumors then that Andretti was going to get in. Around the same time there were news reports that Volkswagen was preparing a 600-hp Polo Mk5 to race in the SuperCar class; the photo above is racer Anton Marklund in his privateer Marklund Motorsports Polo at the 2013 X-Games round in Los Angeles.
Now it's official: Andretti Autosport will campaign the 2014 GRC season with VWs. That's all that's been said for now, Andretti being busy at the moment launching four entries for IndyCar, two for Indy Lights and two for Pro Mazda. We have a feeling we'll be seeing the MkVII Golf involved, but the cars and the driver lineup will be presented at the Chicago Auto Show on February 6.