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VW's diesel problems could end in criminal prosecution

It's not just auto industry insiders who are re-evaluating their thoughts on VW's diesel line-up following last week's bombshell accusation that the German automaker willfully installed software in almost a half-million diesel vehicles sold in the US to get around government emissions tests. Things are moving fast in what is already being called "dieselgate," but here are some of the big news items that we've learned since VW CEO Martin Winterkorn issued an apology yesterday. The biggest news is that both the US and German governments are looking into criminal prosecutions. Here, the US Justice Department has started a criminal investigation and Germany said that its Federal Motor Transport Authority will get involved. When the full history about all of this is written, two key players will be John German and Peter Mock from the International Council on Clean Transportation. They were the researchers responsible for actually calculating the emissions, and thus discovered that what was coming out of the tailpipe and what VW was telling the EPA did not match up. Once the EPA understood what was going on, it forced VW to either explain things all of its 2016 models would not receive certification. Sales of all VW diesels in the US have indeed been stopped, and the EPA says it will take a closer look at all light-duty diesel vehicles in the US. The re-engineered 2016 Volkswagen Passat is being launched in New York today. Two senior Volkswagen executives who were supposed to attend the event - Heinz-Jakob Neusser, VW's board member in charge of technical development and Herbert Diess, chairman of the VW brand's management board - have cancelled. An Audi vehicle is among the VW Group's vehicles affected by this issue, the A3 TDI. Given that VW has admitted in some fashion to installing the "defeat device" to get around the emissions tests, Audi's slogan "Truth In Engineering" now sounds less than perfect. Yes, there is already talk of class-action lawsuits. Nothing official is out yet, but expect to hear more about this in the near future.

2021 BMW M3/M4 and Volkswagen ID.4 revealed | Autoblog Podcast #646

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by West Coast Editor James Riswick. Together, they tackle a week's worth of big news, including the reveals of the BMW M3 and M4 and Volkswagen ID.4, as well as Tesla's Battery Day. Greg's been driving the long-term Subaru Forester, and gives us an update on that, while James discusses the current state and direction of Cadillac after driving the CT5. Then, the two dads talk about child seat safety, as well as random things they've learned from having children of their own. Autoblog Podcast #646 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2021 BMW M3 and M4 revealed with a standard manual and up to 503 horsepower 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 breaks cover with 250-mile range Why the Volkswagen ID.4 is a Very Big Deal Elon Musk promises $25,000 car, EV battery cell that costs half — but not soon 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid coming with three motors and more than 1,100 horsepower Cars we're driving: Long-term 2019 Subaru Forester 2020 Cadillac CT5 A conversation on child car seats Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Green Podcasts BMW Cadillac Subaru Tesla Volkswagen Safety Coupe Crossover Electric Luxury Performance Sedan

Germany is finally getting serious about self-driving cars

Germany cleared the way for its giant automotive industry to develop and test self-driving cars, when the upper house of its parliament approved on Friday a law setting out the conditions under which they could take to German roads. Under the law, first mooted by Chancellor Angela Merkel last year, a driver must be sitting behind the wheel at all times ready to take back control if prompted to do so by the autonomous vehicle. Germany is home to some of the world's largest car companies, including Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW, all of which are investing heavily in a technology seen by transport minister Alexander Dobrindt as the "greatest mobility revolution since the invention of the car." That's not to say that German automakers have been standing still in the face of autonomous technology. VW recently outlined its vision for autonomous vehicles. BMW has already demonstrated self-driving vehicles in the United States, and Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with German auto supplier Bosch on autonomous technology. The new legislation allows German car companies to road-test vehicles in which drivers will be allowed to take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road to browse the web or check e-mails while the vehicle handles steering or braking autonomously. The legislation requires that a black box record the journey underway, logging whether the human driver or the car's self-piloting system was in charge at all moments of the ride. This will be crucial for apportioning blame in accidents. The driver will bear responsibility for accidents that take place under his or her watch, under the legislation, but if the self-driving system is in charge and a system failure is to blame, the manufacturer will be responsible. The law will be revised in two years' time in the light of technological developments, with data protection and the use of the data collected during rides a key point that has yet to be fully addressed. Companies around the globe are working on prototypes for self-driving vehicles, but such cars are not expected to be available for the mass market before 2020. (Reporting By Markus Wacket; Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Toby Davis) Related Video: Image Credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Government/Legal Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Technology Autonomous Vehicles