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VW joins Daimler's protest of new A/C refrigerant as EU deadline for compliance passes

The case of Dupont and Honeywell's refrigerant R-1234yf is doing the exact opposite of keeping things cool. The two chemical companies have spent years and hundreds of millions of dollars developing R-1234yf to replace R-134a, the new refrigerant shown to be 99.7-percent kinder to the environment than the one it is meant to succeed. Part of that development has been years of testing by governments, outside safety agencies and automakers to approve the chemical for use in cars. It passed the protocols necessary for the European Union to declare that new and significantly revised cars from 2013 onward needed to use R-1234yf, and mandated that every car as of 2017 must use it.
Enter Daimler AG. The automaker created a head-on collision test with a B-Class at their Sindelfingen test track that would lead to the pressurized refrigerant being sprayed on the engine. The result in 20 out of 20 test was that the refrigerant burst into flames as soon as it hit the hot engine, while Daimler says that R-134a does not catch fire in the same test. Another unexpected result of the R-1234yf test was the release of hydrogen flouride, a chemical far more deadly to humans than hydrogen cyanide, emitted in such amounts that it that turned the windshield white as it began to eat into the glass.
Said a Daimler engineer in a Reuters piece, "It was scarcely believable. The most complicated lab tests conducted using the most sensitive measuring instruments around found nothing and all we do is drive a car around a couple of times, open a tiny hole in the refrigerant line and the next thing you know the car is on fire." So Daimler said it wouldn't use the refrigerant, and it recalled the cars it had already shipped with R-1234yf.

2015 Volkswagen Passat Alltrack ready for any road, except in the US

If Volkswagen built a Subaru Outback-fighter for US buyers, the Passat Alltrack would be it, and the new generation of VW's off-roading wagon debuted this week at the Geneva Motor Show. The Passat Alltrack – which is not sold in the United States – takes the car-like demeanor of the Passat and punches it up into a go-anywhere crossover. It has permanent 4Motion all-wheel drive, raised ride height and an electronic differential lock. The body is fitted with modified bumpers with underbody guards, reinforced wheelarches and side moldings with extended sills. There are roof rails on top, and it rolls on standard 17-inch wheels with 18s and 19s optional. The Passat Alltrack offers five direct-injected engines, with the lineup comprised of two turbocharged gasoline mills and three turbo diesels. Volkswagen loaded the vehicle with a wide range of infotainment and safety features, including choices of five radio and navigation units. It also has fully digital instruments, heads-up display and a rear-seat entertainment system setup for laptops. There is also lane-changing assist, rear-traffic alert and trailer-assist features. As spokesman confirmed to Autoblog there are no plans to bring the Passat Alltrack to the US market. The new Passat Alltrack • World premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show • All-wheel drive all-rounder* combines exceptional off-road properties with excellent travel comfort The latest generation of the Passat Alltrack* is celebrating its debut at this year's Geneva International Motor Show. Based on the new Passat Estate, the new Passat Alltrack impresses with an independent off-road look, 4MOTION permanent all-wheel drive and highly advanced technologies. The updated version confidently handles rough terrain, on the one hand, while simultaneously providing excellent cruising comfort – thanks to the driving profile selector and DCC adaptive chassis control. The Passat Alltrack is an independent model within the model series. This can be seen in exterior features such as the modified bumpers (with underbody guard in stainless-steel look), rugged wheel arch and side sill moulding covers in "Anthracite" and sill extensions. Its 27.5 mm higher ground clearance also makes it ready for any driving situation. Anodised silver roof rails, "Alltrack" badges on the radiator grille and tailgate, and custom 17-inch alloy wheels (18- and 19-inch wheel options available) upgrade this Estate even more.

Volkswagen to add 50k jobs by 2018

Volkswagen still has its eyes set on becoming the top global automaker by 2018, and to get there, it's apparently going to need more boots on the ground. Automotive News Europe is reporting that VW is looking to increase its staff by 50,000 over the next five years - an increase of nine percent - which does not include an increase in its US dealer network.
According to the report, a majority of the growth will come from China where the automaker is also looking to double its production capacity in the same time frame. The Volkswagen Group is already expected to rival General Motors for the top sales spot in China this year, and such a rapid expansion in the region could make a good springboard for sales increases in other countries.