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VW stock delisted from Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Because of the company's years-long diesel emissions evasions, Volkswagen AG is being removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices effective October 6, according to a joint statement by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and RobecoSAM. After looking at reports of the automaker's cheating software, the DJSI has decided that the company shouldn't be part of the index anymore. According to The Detroit News, the DJSI is meant to track the top 10 percent of companies that are considered leaders environmentally and socially in each industry among the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index. This de-listing means that VW is no longer considered an industry leader by this group for its economic, environmental and social performance. As of this writing, VW AG's stock price sits at 97.75 euros ($109.14), and the figure has been largely in freefall since the emissions evasions reports first surfaced. It was considered shocking on September 21 when the shares plunged almost 18 percent to end the day at 132.15 euros ($147.57). According to The Detroit News, the automaker has lost about $30.8 billion in value since the EPA put out its notice of violation on September 18. Related Video:   Volkswagen AG to be Removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices New York and Zurich, September 29, 2015 Effective October 6, 2015, Volkswagen AG (VW) will be removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). A review of VW's standing in the DJSI was prompted by the recent revelations of manipulated emissions tests. Per the published and publicly available methodology for the DJSI, potential problematic issues relating to any DJSI component company automatically trigger a Media & Stakeholder Analysis (MSA), which examines the extent of the respective company's involvement and how it manages the issue. Following the MSA, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Committee (DJSIC) reviews the issue and decides whether the company will remain in the index, based on DJSI Guidelines. In VW's case, the DJSIC reviewed the situation and ultimately decided to remove the Company from the DJSI World, the DJSI Europe, and all other DJSI indices. The stock will be removed after the close of trading in Frankfurt on October 5, 2015, thus making the removal effective on October 6, 2015. As a result, VW will no longer be identified as an Industry Group Leader in the "Automobiles & Components" industry group.

VW planning 20 new plug-in models for China

With just about everything getting super-sized for China, Volkswagen is following suit with its plug-in vehicle plans for the world's most populous country. VW, Europe's largest carmaker, is looking to sell more than 20 different plug-in models in China within the next four years, Reuters says, citing comments Volkswagen Group China head Jochem Heizmann made in Shanghai. The company is hoping that translates to sales of more than 100,000 plug-ins in China by the end of the decade. Go big or go home, right? There's a huge plug-in vehicle opportunity in China, especially given the bad pollution situation in cities like Beijing and Shanghai and the Chinese government's incentives for plug-in vehicle buyers. Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said at the Beijing Motor Show this spring that the company would spend $25 billion on at least a half-dozen plug-in models for China by 2018. VW will start selling the e-Golf in China this year and the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid in 2015. VW said in August that it would start selling the e-Golf in the US for about $35,500 in November. That's a $6,500 price hike from the base Nissan Leaf.

German prosecutors investigating Audi for emissions scandal

After weeks of investigation into Volkswagen by prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany, attorneys in Ingolstadt will also begin an examination into Audi's potential role in the emissions scandal. They reportedly received multiple criminal complaints that requested an inquiry, including one from Audi, according to Bloomberg. The prosecutors in Ingolstadt want to focus on people within the automaker that are responsible for emissions. However, the investigation is still too early in the process to identify any specific suspects. The German lawyers might also eventually combine their cases, but they remain separate for now. "Braunschweig took those parts that are clearly located at Volkswagen and asked us to keep the elements limited to Audi," a spokesperson for the Ingolstadt attorneys told Bloomberg. Audi has 2.1 million vehicles worldwide with Volkswagen Group's emissions-cheating four-cylinder diesel, including an estimated 13,000-14,000 of them in the US. The Environmental Protection Agency also recently filed a second violation notice against the 3.0-liter TDI V6 that was used in several of the company's models here, and the automaker responded with a stop sale for them. VW Group's carbon-dioxide emissions cheating in Europe also reportedly involves some Audi models. In that case, engineers admitted to artificially improving test results to achieve the cuts that the automaker requested.