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Volkswagen drops first teaser of next-gen T6 Transporter

The history of Volkswagen's line of boxy Transporter vans goes all the way back to 1950, and the early models' shape likely ranks in fame with the Beetle. VW Commercial Vehicles is now teasing the next step in that legacy with this sketch of the new T6. Judging by this shot, VW is sticking with the van's familiar, square shape. Although this sketch makes the front end look a bit more curvaceous and possibly with a shorter overhang than the current T5. Finding out the truth won't take long because the T6 will debut on April 15, and it will go on sale in the UK by the end of the year. These days the US commercial van segment is rapidly expanding with new models filling the market. Autoblog reached out to VW spokesperson Mark Gillies to find out if the latest Transporter might come across the Atlantic. "LCVs are under consideration, but there are no plans" to bring the T6 to the US at this time, Gillies said. Related Video: Show full PR text VOLKSWAGEN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES REVEALS SKETCH OF FORTHCOMING SIXTH-GENERATION TRANSPORTER Ahead of its official world premiere on 15 April 2015, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has revealed a sketch of the sixth-generation Transporter. When it made its public debut in 1950, few could have predicted the enormous impact the Transporter would have in revolutionising the commercial vehicle market, creating a timeless automotive icon in the process. Whilst the Transporter has evolved dramatically during that time the philosophy and vision that created the original still holds true. Getting the job done efficiently and reliably has been at the heart of the Volkswagen philosophy for the past 65 years. Its reputation for rugged reliability has endured over the decades to make the Volkswagen Transporter one of the world's best-selling light commercial vehicles. The sixth-generation Transporter will go on sale in the UK later this year. (ends)

VW CEO talks up 20 new plug-in models in Frankfurt

For years now, Volkswagen has dreamed big, forming plans to become the world's largest automaker. That trajectory includes a big plug-in vehicle push, and the CEO of Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, said that his group of companies will bring out 20 more EVs and plug-in hybrids by 2020. The list includes the next Phaeton and the Audi A8. "No commitment to electro-mobility can be any clearer than that," Winterkorn said, according to a VW press release. "Our Group already has the largest connected vehicle fleet on the road. By 2020 we will have transformed all of our new cars into smartphones on wheels." Perhaps most illustrative, Winterkorn admitted that the auto industry has turned a corner. "Technological leadership is no longer solely defined in terms of horsepower and torque," he said. "We are taking the precision, enduring value and quality of our cars into the new, digital world." The VW group is also showing off new plug-in concepts in Frankfurt this week, like the Tiguan GTE and the Porsche Mission E. Winterkorn's prepared remarks do not give out the details of these vehicles, but we'll have all the info from the show floor in short order. Stay tuned. PROF. DR. MARTIN WINTERKORN: "THE REINVENTION OF VOLKSWAGEN" 14/09/15 from Volkswagen Group 20 more electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2020 announced Group not only has broadest electric fleet, but also largest connected vehicle fleet on the road Customers should benefit from automated driving technologies as quickly as possible Volkswagen taking precision, enduring value and quality of its cars into the digital world Wolfsburg/Frankfurt am Main, September 14, 2015 – In the Volkswagen Group, there is a sense that a new era is dawning. On the eve of the 66th International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main the CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, said on Monday evening: "We are in the process of reinventing Europe's largest automaker, laying the technological, economic and structural foundations." The Group Chairman announced there would be 20 more electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2020 – from compact cars to the next Phaeton and Audi A8: "No commitment to electro-mobility can be any clearer than that." He said the Group already had the broadest electric fleet in the automobile world, and added that Volkswagen was also at the forefront when it came to the future-oriented field of digitisation: "Our Group already has the largest connected vehicle fleet on the road.

VW probes more diesels for emissions issues [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Volkswagen has released an official statement (embedded below) clarifying that neither the Euro 5 nor Euro 6 versions of the EA 288 contain software defeat devices. While this is the case for Europe, a VW spokesperson tells Autoblog: "Remedies and certifications for the vehicles in the United States are still subject to approval from the EPA and CARB." Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal could mushroom to include even more vehicles in Europe because another engine there might be equipped with the cheating software. According to the company, it now needs to check whether early examples of the EA 288 for the Euro 5 standard can also evade tests, Automotive News reports. German regulators find that the later Euro 6 versions of the powerplant are compliant. VW initially said that 11 million EA 189 engines were affected worldwide by the cheating, and it recently included them in a stop-sale order in Europe. However, if the EA 288 diesels also have evasive software, they would only add to the millions of vehicles the company is already recalling there. At the same time, VW is facing a crunch to have a fix ready in time for mandated repairs to start in Germany in early 2016. New software should be enough to make most models compliant, but some of them might need more costly hardware changes. While the effects could be huge for Europe, the EA 288 has been included in VW's stop-sale in the US since Sept. 18. The engine is found on an estimated 67,000 examples of the 2015 model-year 2.0-liter TDI vehicles that the company calls Generation 3, according to spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan to Autoblog. US regulators are also taking a close look at the powerplant for evidence of VW altering its cheating software between engines. If proven, the changes might be evidence of a wider effort within the company to perpetuate the emissions evasion. Related Video: Volkswagen confirms: EA288 engines designed for EU5 and EU6 are not affected • Thorough appraisal of the Diesel emissions issue Wolfsburg, October 22, 2015. Volkswagen confirms today that no software constituting an improper defeat device as defined in law is installed in vehicles with EA 288 EU5 as well as EU6-engines in the European Union. Consequently, new vehicles of the Volkswagen Group offered within the European Union with those engines comply with legal requirements and environmental standards. Volkswagen AG is systematically reviewing this issue worldwide.