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Horn, Hackenburg, Hatz to be fired as VW diesel scandal deepens

Volkswagen will sack three more high ranking executives, including the head of its US division, as the company's diesel scandal deepens. Reuters reported Thursday morning that the executives are: Michael Horn, who has led VW's US operations since January 1, 2014; Ulrich Hackenberg, who oversaw Audi's research and development; and Wolfgang Hatz, who was in charge of R&D for Porsche. A VW spokesman wouldn't comment in response to an Autoblog email. The moves come in the wake of longtime VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn stepping down on Wednesday. Volkswagen's board said at the time that it expected more personnel changes to follow. Volkswagen's board is scheduled to meet Friday, and Porsche CEO Matthias Muller has reportedly been named as Winterkorn's successor. The German auto giant was plunged into crisis last Friday when the EPA charged that the company manipulated software in its diesel-powered cars to pass US emissions tests. About 482,000 vehicles in the US are affected, and VW estimates 11 million around the world could have the rigged software. The revelations have prompted outcry from governments and regulatory agencies, and in the US, Volkswagen could face a fine of up to $18 billion. The departure of Horn, Hackenberg, and Hatz is a stunning downfall for three of the company's top and most visible executives. Horn had led US operations for less than two years, taking over from Jonathan Browning, who was well-respected but failed to reach VW's ambitious sales targets. Before overseeing Audi R&D, Hackenberg was hailed as a visionary for work in developing VW's modular architectures, which allow the company to save time and money by building many vehicles off the same chassis. Hatz had led Porsche R&D since 2011 and also was in charge of engines and transmission development for all of Volkswagen. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Getty Images Government/Legal Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Audi Porsche Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal vw diesel ulrich hackenberg michael horn wolfgang hatz

Daily Driver: 2015 Audi S7

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 Audi S7, reviewed by Seyth Miersma. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT [00:00:00] Hi, all. This is Seyth with Autoblog. I'm here driving the 2015 Audi S7. I'm caught in a kind of annoying, normal, end-of-the-work-day suburban traffic right now, but even that helps to illustrate the point that I'm trying to make about the S7, is that it really is one of the best all-around grand touring cars that you can buy. A really, really good grand tourer has to do three things. [00:00:30] One, it has to look amazing. It has to feel really special inside and out. The second part is that it's got to be a great long-range cruiser. It needs to be powerful on the highway, be able to be very comfortable and quiet if you're taking it long distances, kind of like your typically Autobahn car. Three, and I think this is really difficult with the second one that I mentioned, I think that grand tourers have to be really great at driving like sports cars. [00:01:00] You're going along and you're touring on the highway and you know that a really great road is coming up. The car should be able to get off on that road and handle like something much lighter and still have that great cruising character. That's one of the reasons why I've always liked the entire Audi A7 line, but especially this S7 because the A7 itself in all of its guises is really a pretty great cruiser and a really practical all-around car with the space in the hatch [00:01:30] and reasonable room in the back seats. The S7 with the turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 making 420 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque really amps up the sportiness. Now don't get me wrong, the S7 is far from a sports car. It's not very light. It's got a long wheelbase. It is nimble, especially with Quattro, but it doesn't feel especially nimble. It doesn't want to change directions super quickly. It splits the difference between the two. That being said, [00:02:00] when you get up to some of your favorite roads, it doesn't disappointment you either because of all the power and grip and some pretty decent sporting character available. Of course one thing that you do lack in a big GT like this S7 vs.

Which would you rather have, Audi's RS5 or Mercedes' C63 AMG 507?

If you're in the market for a German sports coupe with a naturally aspirated V8, run, don't walk, to your nearest dealer because they are going to be gone very soon. European fuel economy and emissions rules have conspired to force automakers into seeking forced-induction mills. Motor Trend personality Jonny Lieberman is hosting the retirement party in the latest Head 2 Head video, where he takes on the 2014 Audi RS5 and 2014 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Edition 507 to decide which is the ultimate Teutonic V8.
To make the decision harder, Lieberman challenges the duo on the first soaking wet roads that Southern California has seen in ages. It forces the coupes to confront some of the actual weather that the rest of the country encounters regularly and serves to even the playing field somewhat between the charismatic rear-drive Mercedes-Benz and the all-wheel drive Audi.
It really is the end of an era for these coupes. The next Audi RS4 is rumored to switch to a twin-turbo V6, and while Mercedes won't officially admit it, the next C-Class AMG will likely switch to a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. And we already know the next BMW M3/M4 will rely on a 425-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline-six. Let's enjoy these eight-cylinder German giants while we can, and scroll down to watch the video.