2012 Blue * 2.5l Se * Leather * Automatic * Sedan * 35 Pics on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW exec calls US ops a 'disaster'

Today in the Tell Us How You Really Feel file we have Bernd Osterloh, head of Volkswagen AG's Group Works Councils and member of the company's supervisory board, labeling the company's US operations "a disaster." Why? Because Osterloh believes VW of America doesn't have the models it needs to be competitive here, hasn't been decisive enough about its plans and German higher-ups still don't understand the US market.
In truth, the top labor rep at the German conglomerate is echoing sentiments we've heard from VWoA executives for years, and there's been the same commentary from dealers: Germany doesn't pay enough attention to what the US market really wants. Even ex-VWoA CEO Stefan Jacoby, who preceded the recently departed Jonathan Browning, said early in his tenure that one of his tasks was to get his German bosses to start delivering what the US market demanded. New CEO Michael Horn is saying much the same thing seven years later, telling Sky News that it has to increase "the speed at which we bring new models to the market and innovation to the market."
Osterloh wants to get "more models" here, including a pickup truck, but we'd wonder if the economics have changed from when Jacoby said they'd need to sell 100,000 per year to make money. Osterloh also wants a decision on where the CrossBlue will be built. Although it looked as if the Chatanooga, TN plant would get the call, the Puebla, Mexico plant is still in the running because of lower operating costs. No matter what happens right now, Osterloh thinks the situation won't get better for another two years when revamped models arrive, but at least the company can start taking the steps for a better US future.

Volkswagen Scirocco GTS set for Shanghai reveal

Though we still can't get one over here, buyers in other markets can get the Scirocco in an array of trim levels. And at the Shanghai Motor Show this month, Volkswagen is introducing another. The new Scirocco GTS slots between the base models and the R performance version. Reviving the spirit of the original introduced more than 30 years ago and picking up where the last model left off, the new GTS splits the Scirocco lineup the way the GTI fits into the Golf range. It even packs the GTI's engine: a 2.0-liter turbo four with 210 hp, mated to either a six-speed manual or DSG. The GTS also packs standard 18-inch (or optional 19-inch wheels), a further departure from the R-Line aero kit and racing stripes running up the top. The interior is similarly upgraded with special trim, a golf-ball shifter (on manual versions) and more. All of this makes the Scirocco an even more tempting proposition – if only we could get our hands on one. Wolfsburg/Shanghai, 16 April 2015 Comeback of a GT icon: World premiere of the 220 PS Scirocco GTS in Shanghai - Exclusive GTS trim with new 18-inch alloy wheels - Scirocco GTS* has a new generation of infotainment equipment on board as standard Ten key facts about the Scirocco GTS*: 1. The new Scirocco GTS makes its debut as a separate and especially sporty GT version 2. 220 PS Scirocco GTS has a top speed of 246 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds 3. Individualised exterior with new 18-inch alloy wheels and optional GTS decor (decor standard in China) 4. Red brake callipers as an identifying feature 5. Exclusive GTS interior with black trim features, red stitching and the legendary golf ball gear knob 6. Included as standard: the "Composition Colour", from the latest generation of infotainment systems 7. Modular infotainment matrix (MIB II) available for all Scirocco models from the end of May 8. The Scirocco GTS can also be ordered with an extremely quick-shifting 6-speed DSG gearbox as an option 9. The spirit of the first Scirocco GTS (which made its debut in 1982) was carried forward into the year 2015 in the new GTS 10. With over a million sold, the Scirocco is one of the most successful sports cars in the world Some cars live for ever because they are constantly reinvented. The Scirocco, a pure-bred European sports car, is one of these cars that is forever young. Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 41 years ago, it became an icon of compact German coupes.

Brand new cars are being sold with defective Takata airbags

If you just bought a 2016 Audi TT, 2017 Audi R8, 2016–17 Mitsubishi i-MiEV, or 2016 Volkswagen CC, we have some unsettling news for you. A report provided to a US Senate committee that oversees the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and reported on by Automotive News claims these vehicles were sold with defective Takata airbags. And it gets worse. Toyota and FCA are called out in the report for continuing to build vehicles that will need to be recalled down the line for the same issue. That's not all. The report also states that of the airbags that have been replaced already in the Takata recall campaign, 2.1 million will need to eventually be replaced again. They don't have the drying agent that prevents the degradation of the ammonium nitrate, which can lead to explosions that can destroy the airbag housing and propel metal fragments at occupants. So these airbags are out there already. We're not done yet. There's also a stockpile of about 580,000 airbags waiting to be installed in cars coming in to have their defective airbags replaced. These 580k airbags also don't have the drying agent. They'll need to be replaced down the road, too. A new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time. If all this has you spinning around in a frustrated, agitated mess, there's a silver lining that is better than it sounds. So take a breath, run your fingers through your hair, and read on. Our best evidence right now demonstrates that defective Takata airbags – those without the drying agent that prevents humidity from degrading the ammonium nitrate propellant – aren't dangerous yet. It takes a long period of time combined with high humidity for them to reach the point where they can rupture their housing and cause serious injury. It's a matter of years, not days. So a new vehicle with a defective Takata airbag should be safe to drive, but that margin of safety decreases with time – and six years seems to be about as early as the degradation happens in the worst possible scenario. All this is small comfort for the millions of people who just realized their brand-new car has a time bomb installed in the wheel or dashboard, or the owners who waited patiently to have their airbags replaced only to discover that the new airbag is probably defective in the same way (although newer and safer!) as the old one.