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Recharge Wrap-up: VW exec predicts EVs with 375-mile range

Volkswagen says EV ranges over 300 miles aren't too far in the future. Plug-in hybrids are merely a bridge to all-electric mobility becoming more practical for people who need to travel longer distances, according to Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Volkswagen's head of powertrain development. Energy density is increasing rapidly in new batteries. Speaking about the e-Golf, Neusser says, "I expect the next generation in 2015-17 will increase to around 300 km [186 miles] and the following step will be around 500-600 km [310-372 miles]." Neusser also says he believes that charging infrastructure will improve to catch up with these more advanced batteries. Read more at Motoring. BMW is offering higher incentives for the all-electric i3 than the range-extended version. More buyers are opting for the i3 REx, with its 78 extra miles of range. So, to move the standard i3 (which is already cheaper), BMW is offering $2,000 in incentives for October - double what is offered for the i3 REx. The added incentives help close the price gap between the BMW and other EVs with similar ranges. The deals won't last long, though. According to New Jersey BMW salesman Manny Antunes, BMW's current incentives are "as aggressive as they're going to get" for a while. Read more at Green Car Reports. Honda is changing its research and development process for all cars after a series of Fit Hybrid recalls. The hybrid version, which makes up more than half of all Fit sales in Japan, was the subject of four recalls within nine months. In response, Honda will change the way it develops cars worldwide, with one extra "gate" to pass in the process. Honda will do prototype testing earlier in the research process to see how separately developed components work together before moving onto the car's development phase. It will add time and cost to making cars, but Honda hopes it will help prevent problems - like those that come with a flurry of recalls - down the road. Read more at Automotive News. Featured Gallery 2015 Honda Fit Hybrid View 16 Photos Related Gallery 2014 Volkswagen e-Golf: Frankfurt 2013 View 15 Photos Related Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: Motoring, Green Car Reports, Automotive NewsImage Credit: Honda Green Plants/Manufacturing BMW Honda Volkswagen Electric Hybrid recharge wrapup

2016 Volkswagen Golf GTE First Drive [w/video]

For the past few years I've enjoyed a simple automotive tradition: When planning a European vacation, I request a relatively attainable loaner car that's unavailable in the States. These slices of can't-get-it-at-home automotive exotica have tended to be clean diesels, and experiencing them in their native habitat ahead of their US debuts often gives some form of four-wheeled revelation. For instance, before the mainstream emergence of clean diesels stateside, I racked up 1,500 miles on a then-brand-new 2008 Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI. The otherwise unassuming sedan enabled me to cannonball from the South of France to Barcelona on a single tank of fuel, while delivering satisfying torque around town and averaging 41 mpg. The following year, I bombed through the Italian Alps in a Volkswagen Golf SportWagen TDI, which eked a claimed 17 percent better fuel economy than its predecessor. Once again, I was in car guy heaven, returning home with nothing but praise for these efficient, entertaining diesels that seemed to defy conventional wisdom. And then came the Volkswagen scandal, single-handedly besmirching so-called clean diesels and everything they purported to represent. With a European pleasure trip around the corner (and a request for a press car pending with VW), I wondered what would be waiting for me curbside when I touched down at Aeroporto di Firenze-Peretola. The GTE packs what is essentially an Audi A3 E-Tron beneath its familiar skin. Enter The High Performance Hybrid Volkswagen, quite understandably, didn't want to arm a journalist with potentially damning commentary about the technology that has already inspired environmental outrage and the ousting of CEO Martin Winterkorn. For the automaker in peril (and the auto writer in waiting), I soon discovered that the 'clean' diesel elephant in the room would be supplanted with a vehicle that could single-handedly deflect controversy. My loaner? A still-can't-get-it-back-home alternative to diesel, the 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. First off, let me admit to some prejudicial bias against the GTE. Maybe it's my personal views on hybrids, tainted by the eco self-righteousness exuded by their drivers back home, and epitomized by teeming swarms of Prius drivers who couldn't give a single damn about driving. Or maybe it's the added weight and complexity of a hybrid drivetrain that runs counter to my petrol-loving soul.

Volkswagen, Bosch reach diesel settlement worth $1.6 billion

Volkswagen Group of America and automotive parts maker Bosch reached a settlement in which the two companies will pay a combined $1.6 billion because of their roles in the automaker's diesel-emissions scandal. VW, Europe's largest automaker, will pay about $1.2 billion to either repair or buy back vehicles. Bosch said separately that it will pay more than $300 million to owners of diesel-powered Volkswagens, Audis, and Porsches. The settlement stems from emissions issues related to about 78,000 VW-made cars and SUVs with 3.0-liter V6 diesel engines that were sold in North America. VW will recall and repair about 58,000 vehicles made for the 2013-through-2016 model years. The company will also buy back, offer a trade-in credit, or terminate the leases for about 20,000 cars for the model years 2009 through 2012. The older impacted models are the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7, while the newer ones are the Touareg and Q7 as well as Audi's A6, A7, A8, A8L, and Q5 models, and finally the Porsche Cayenne Diesel. Previous reports estimated the payout at closer to $1 billion. The US settlement follows one reached last year between VW and US regulators in regards to VW's 2.0-liter diesel engines. That settlement was estimated to cost VW about $15 billion and impacted owners of about 500,000 vehicles. VW has had a stop-sale on its diesel vehicles in the US since late 2015 after it was discovered that VW installed software in its diesels that allowed those vehicles to cheat emissions-testing systems. VW on Wednesday also reiterated that it would contribute $225 million towards environmental-remediation efforts in the US. Volkswagen of America CEO Hinrich J. Woebcken, in Wednesday's statement, said that "we will continue to work to earn back the trust of all our stakeholders and thank our customers and dealers for their continued patience as this process moves forward." Related Video: News Source: Volkswagen via Automotive News-sub.req.Image Credit: Shannon Stapleton / Reuters Government/Legal Green Audi Porsche Volkswagen AutoblogGreen Exclusive Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal scandal settlement