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VW Jetta and Golf family earn IIHS TSP+ [w/video]

Volkswagen is the latest manufacturer to add vehicles to the growing list of cars, trucks and SUVs certified as Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The non-profit has awarded its highest safety ranking on the 2016 Golf and Jetta families. Earning a TSP+ rating, while increasingly common, is still a challenge for automakers thanks to IIHS' strict testing regime. Vehicles must net "Good" ratings – the highest grade available – in the moderate overlap, front, side, roof, and head-restraint tests, while also scoring an "Acceptable" rating on the notoriously tricky small-overlap test. On top of that, the automated crash-prevention systems need to be rated as either "Advanced" or "Superior." For 2016, the Jetta, Golf, and their performance variants retained 2015's "Good" ratings across the board, while also receiving an "Advanced" crash prevention rating, thanks to the new-for-2016 Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking systems. "This year's Top Safety Pick+ awards demonstrate Volkswagen's longstanding commitment to vehicle safety and the development of innovative technologies," Mark Barnes, VP of Sales for VW of America, said in the attached statement. "Our available driver assistance systems and safety features show Volkswagen's commitment to introduce systems that were once only seen on high-end luxury and premium vehicles, such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning." Scroll down for the official press release from VW and video of the crash test (and yes, that's a 2015 shown in both the lead image and video – the only difference between the two years was the availability of more advanced crash-prevention systems). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2016 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF, GOLF SPORTWAGEN, GOLF GTI AND JETTA EARN A 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK + RATING FROM THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY Aug 12, 2015 Herndon, VA — Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced that the 2016 Volkswagen Golf 4-door, Golf SportWagen, Golf GTI 4-door, and Jetta models, when equipped with the optional Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist) system, have been awarded 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Peugeot will prove it doesn't offer cheater diesels

Our diesels are clean, really. That's the message from French automaker PSA/Peugeot-Citroen as it plans to go on the offensive in response to Volkswagen's diesel-emissions scandal. PSA will go out of its way to prove its diesels are as clean as advertised. The company is looking at disclosing "real-world" fuel-economy statistics as soon as next spring and will use an independent entity to vet the numbers, Automotive News Europe says, citing comments that PSA/Peugeot-Citroen financial chief Jean-Baptiste de Chatillon made to reporters this week. Such efforts may be vital, since roughly two-thirds of the vehicles Peugeot-Citroen sells in Europe are powered by a diesel engine. Last month, VW admitted that as many as 11 million of its diesel-powered vehicles were programmed with software designed to cheat emissions-testing systems. The news shook up the industry, especially companies that sell a good chunk of diesels. The EU itself may start instituting "real world" fuel-economy and emissions testing as soon as 2017. French regulators have said they may eliminate diesel-fuel subsidies that currently make diesel fuel cheaper to customers than gas. That adjustment may occur as soon as next year, since it's been pushed up in response to the VW scandal. Peugeot-Citron continues to reiterate that it has never installed software that was designed to cheat emissions-testing systems. Additionally, the automaker was more than a decade ahead of European Union mandates for engine components designed to cut soot emissions, so the company is hoping its track record makes a difference. It wants to be perfectly clear about that. News Source: Automotive News Europe-sub.req.Image Credit: Cletus Awreetus/Flickr Green Volkswagen Citroen Peugeot Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal France psa peugeot citroen

VW and partner SAIC start building $2.5B Audi plant in China

BEIJING — Volkswagen AG's China joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp has started building a $2.5 billion new energy vehicle (NEV) plant in Shanghai, which will make VW's luxury Audi brand cars, a possible first for the venture. The new plant is a key step for Audi to diversify production of its cars in the world's largest car market from its long-standing local partner, China FAW Group Corp. This shift has been delayed amid resistance from local dealers. SAIC Volkswagen said the new plant would have an annual capacity to make 300,000 cars and begin production from 2020. Audi sold 481,387 vehicles in China from January to September this year. The announcement comes the same week Tesla secured a Shanghai location for a Gigafactory battery plant to serve the Chinese market. Audi unveiled the plan to bolster ties with SAIC in late 2016. Earlier this year, the Germany luxury carmaker bought a 1 percent stake in the SAIC Volkswagen venture, paving the way for the joint venture to produce and sell Audi cars. Volkswagen currently gets a larger proportion of the proceeds from the 50-50 tie-up with SAIC than from its 40 percent stake in the venture with FAW. SAIC Volkswagen said in a statement on Friday the plant would cost 17 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) and would make VW and Skoda models as well as Audi cars. It will help VW tap China's fast-growing market for NEVs, a category comprising electric battery cars and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. ($1 = 6.9314 Chinese yuan renminbi) Reporting by Yilei Sun and Adam JourdanRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Audi Volkswagen Skoda Electric Hybrid