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Recharge Wrap-up: Smart Fortwo engine fires, Tesla finalist for Extole Advocacy and Customer Experience award

NHTSA has launched a preliminary investigation into complaints of Smart Fortwo engine fires. So far, the agency has received eight complaints about the rear engine compartment catching fire in model year 2008 and 2009 Fortwos and quickly engulfing the car. Six of the fires occurred while driving and were preceded by a check engine light. "The safety of our customers is our primary concern, and we are cooperating with NHTSA in its inquiry," says parent company Mercedes-Benz. "We are not aware of any injuries related to this inquiry." Read more from Automotive News. Volkswagen will pay $1.6 billion (US) in Canada as part of a settlement of its diesel emissions scandal. The funds will be used to fix or buy back some 105,000 affected cars, compensate owners between $3,815 and $4,451 above the buyback price, and pay a $11.2 million civil fine. So far, VW has agreed to spend over $18 billion in North America in connection with its diesel emissions cheating, and is expected to settle on a resolution of its 3.0-liter diesel vehicles in the US soon. Read more at Hybrid Cars, or from Automotive News. Tesla is one of three finalists for the Extole Advocacy and Customer Experience Award. The award recognizes companies that turn customers into brand advocates through referral programs. In Tesla's current program, customers who buy a car using a referral link get $1,000 off the price of their car, while referring owners are awarded prizes including a signed Powerwall 2 and invitations to unveiling events. Referring owners are also entered into a drawing to win a Model S or Model X. "With a disdain for paid advertising, Tesla Motors is leading the trend of reaching new customers through existing ones," says Extole. The other finalists are Hanna Andersson and Ulta Beauty. Read more at Teslarati. Related Gallery Review: 2009 Smart ForTwo View 20 Photos News Source: Automotive News, Hybrid Cars, Automotive News, TeslaratiImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Government/Legal Green smart Tesla Volkswagen Green Automakers Safety Diesel Vehicles Electric recharge wrapup

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 readying new VR6 with forced induction

Volkswagen built a stonking, narrow-angle V6 in the 1980s and 1990s that was found in three different generations of the Golf (their performance iterations, obviously), three generations of the Passat, the New Beetle, the Corrado and the Touareg, among other VWs, a spate of Audis, Seats, a Skoda, and even the Porsche Cayenne. It was a sad day when it was announced that it'd be put out to pasture.
Rejoice, though, fans of the venerable VR6, because Volkswagen has a new, modern variant in the works that, according to AutoWeek, features direct injection and can easily be fitted with forced induction. In fact, AW mentions Volkswagen insiders that claim this unit will spawn a production version of the twin-turbo V6 shown on the Design Vision GTI from this year's Wörthersee festival. That unit produced an epic 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque.
Don't expect a production unit with that level of power (although it would make a hardy RS4 powerplant), though. In reality, AutoWeek is suspecting anywhere from 340 to 450 horsepower from the new mill. When it arrives at an undisclosed date in the future, it'll likely be found in the Passat and Passat CC as well as the production version of the CrossBlue.