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Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns amid diesel scandal

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is stepping down amid charges the company manipulated its diesel-powered cars to meet emissions regulations around the world, the automaker announced Wednesday. No successor was immediately announced, though recommendations will be made at VW's board meeting Friday. Winterkorn, 68, has led VW since 2007 and oversaw the German automaker's staggering growth around the world. His departure comes less than a week after the EPA alleged the company has been cheating on diesel emissions testing for years, and that its cars might emit 40 times more pollution than legally allowed. The EPA says about 482,000 vehicles are affected in the United States, and VW estimates at least 11 million vehicles globally might have the software that allows the vehicles to cheat emissions regulations. "As CEO I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group," Winterkorn said in a statement. "I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part. "Volkswagen needs a fresh start – also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation." Winterkorn stepped down after an executive committee meeting of the VW Supervisory Board Wednesday. The committee agreed Winterkorn had no knowledge of wrongdoing. "The executive committee has tremendous respect for his willingness to nevertheless assume responsibility and, in so doing, to send a strong signal both internally and externally," VW said in a statement. Volkswagen is conducting an internal review and expects more "personnel consequences" in the coming days. It also will voluntarily submit a complaint to the state prosecutor's office in Brunswick, Germany, and cooperate with the expected criminal investigation. Winterkorn's departure is the latest development in VW's burgeoning diesel emissions scandal. It came to light last week after the work of researchers at West Virginia University detailed the software manipulation designed to skirt EPA tests, and it has resounded as governments around the world examine Volkswagen's diesel vehicles. The company set aside $7.3 billion to deal with the fallout and has retained the law firm that defended BP during its oil spill.

When Android Automotive goes in the dash, Google wins — and automakers lose data

You've gotta hand it to Google for the way the Silicon Valley tech giant has made indelible inroads into the car on multiple fronts. The most obvious is with its pioneering self-driving car technology that's caused car companies to get their act together on autonomous vehicles — and also collaborate with Google. Google has more directly extended its influence and data-mining capabilities into the car with its Android Auto smartphone-projection platform that most major automakers have adopted along with Apple's CarPlay. And now it's preparing to dig even deeper into dashboards by deploying its open-source operating system, Android Automotive, beginning with Audi and Volvo. Volvo recently announced that its next-generation Sensus infotainment system will run Android Automotive as an OS and include Google's Play Store for cloud-based content, Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition, which can even command a car's climate control. By embedding Google in the dash, Volvo says owners will get an improved connected experience. "Bringing Google services into Volvo cars will accelerate innovation in connectivity and boost our development in applications and connected services," Volvo senior vice president of R&D Henrik Green said in a statement. "Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable." Having Android Automotive onboard could benefit drivers — and provide a big win for Google, since it opens a deep and lucrative new data-mining vein for the company. But it's a wave of a white flag for car companies when it comes to delivering their own cloud-based content and services. It also represents a massive data giveaway and, for Audi, a reversal of earlier reservations about letting Google get too much access to car data. Not long after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were introduced in 2014 and most automakers eagerly embraced the technologies, several German automakers second-guessed their decision when they realized what was at stake: data. At a conference in Berlin in 2015, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said car owners "want to be in control of their data, and not subject to monitoring." A few months earlier, Stadler stated that "the data that we collect is our data and not Google's.

Volkswagen Tiguan tunes up for Frankfurt show

Volkswagen is in the phase of testing where it's simply beating the crap out of the next-generation Tiguan. The German manufacturer is conducting high-altitude towing tests in the Alps of mules wearing the production-ready body of its second-gen compact CUV. This is the first time we've seen the Tiguan in its production body, and despite the ample camouflage, the resemblance to not only the Passat sedan, but the Cross Coupe GTE and CrossBlue concepts, is clear. That's particularly true based on what we can see of the new Tiguan's grille and headlight treatment. In back, the Tiguan will adopt a more sporting roofline, particularly in the aggressive rake of the D-pillar. It's significantly different than the current car, and frankly, that's no bad thing. Expect the usual array of gas and diesel four cylinders with both front- and all-wheel drive on offer. On the high end, meanwhile, our spies claim a 300-horsepower R model could eventually be added to the range. Aside from its new look, future variants could see the crossover spawn both a long-wheelbase version and a coupe-like model. That said, we're wondering how a long-wheelbase Tiguan would fit into the VW range alongside the long-rumored, American-built, three-rower. According to our spies, though, neither one of those vehicles would arrive until well after the vehicle shown above debuts. As for when we can expect to see the second-gen Tiguan, our spies point to September's Frankfurt Motor Show. Be sure to check back then.