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VW Jetta TDI Value Edition drops price of diesel ownership to $21,295*

Getting a new diesel-powered car just got a bit easier. Volkswagen has announced a new Jetta TDI Value Edition for 2014 that trims over $2,000 off the starting price of a Jetta TDI, making the most affordable diesel-powered car in America even more so. Prices start at $21,295 (*plus $820 for destination) for a Value Edition with a six-speed manual transmission, while a six-speed dual-clutch automatic adds $1,100 to the price. For that money, owners will get 140 horsepower, 236 pound-feet of torque and 42 miles per gallon on the freeway.
Despite the lower price and being down on content versus the previous base Jetta TDI, the Value Edition does come quite well equipped, with standard heated cloth seats, a six-speaker stereo with a Media Device Interface, satellite radio, and one-touch, up-down power windows on all four doors. Customers will be giving up some notable stuff though, including tilt/telescopic steering, Bluetooth streaming audio, power seats and a multi-function steering wheel.
Still, if you're aching to get your hands on a new TDI, this is now the most affordable way to do it. We suspect having the lower MSRP will help the German manufacturer make even further diesel-powered inroads here in the States, a land where they cleared their decks of over 100,000 TDI models in 2013.

VW Tiguan grows up, gets bigger

The compact crossover segment continues to do huge business around the world, and Volkswagen is showing just how important the niche is by debuting four versions of the all-new, second-generation Tiguan at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Now riding on VW's MQB platform, the latest version has had a growth spurt, but it has also shed 110 pounds in the process. The first of them will hit the international market in April 2016. While the design is still definitively a VW, the latest Tiguan looks more aggressive and expands to 2.4-inches longer, 1.2-inches wider, 1.3-inches lower. There's also three more inches of wheelbase than the outgoing generation. At the front, the grille stretches all the way across and connects with the headlights to visually widen the look even more. In profile and at the rear, things are now a bit more angular, but the changes give the model a more chiseled style. In Fall 2016, VW will debut an even longer wheelbase body for the Tiguan. According to the company, this version will be aimed directly at customers in the US and China that prefer larger vehicles. The added inches outside translate to more room for passengers and cargo inside. Even with the seats up, there's an extra 1.8 cubic feet for stuff in the back, and those sitting in the rear get 1.1 inches more knee room. As an added amenity, buyers can option a 12.3-inch Active Info display digital instrument panel. Europeans gets a choice of eight engines: four fueled by gasoline and four by diesel. They range in power from 123 to 237 horsepower. Expect far fewer options when the Tiguan eventually arrives on these shores. Both front-wheel drive and 4Motion are available, too. In addition to having standard, 4Motion, and R-Line variants on display in Frankfurt, VW also has the Tiguan GTE plug-in hybrid concept at the show. It combines a 1.4-liter TSI engine and an electric motor mounted to the six-speed DSG to offer a total system output of 215 hp. The 13 kWh lithium-ion battery also lets the PHEV cover 31 miles on electric power and get an estimated 124 miles per gallon on the European cycle. That's not too bad, but the roof also features solar cells that VW claims can add another 621 miles of driving range per year under ideal conditions.

VW CEO Winterkorn issues video apology for diesel scandal

Amid rumors that he might step down from the automaker, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has issued a video statement publicly apologizing for the company's diesel emissions scandal. The boss claims that he doesn't have the answers to all of the questions yet but promises a thorough investigation to makes things right. Multiple times in the speech, he asks forgiveness from customers all over the world and asks people not to blame all of the company's 600,000 employees for this lapse. At no point does Winterkorn mention resigning, though. You can watch the whole clip above, but it's in German, so turn on the subtitles. However, Winterkorn's future with VW isn't assured, and works council boss Bernd Osterloh appears ready to make some changes. "I can assure you that we will do everything possible in the supervisory board meetings this week to ensure the matter is cleared up quickly and that personnel consequences are drawn. And that will not just affect the rank and file, I can assure you," he said in a letter to Bild, according to Reuters. Earlier today, the automaker admitted that the same engine management software is in vehicles from other VW group brands, but it claims that the Type EA 189 engine is the only one with a deviation between test results and real-world numbers. That mill is installed in 11 million vehicles across the globe. As a start, VW is earmarking 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion at current rates) to service them. The actual costs could go much higher, though.