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J.D. Power customer survey of dealers counts Cadillac, Buick as big winners

Cadillac and Buick have taken the trophies in J.D. Power's latest Customer Service Index Study examining satisfaction with dealer service. Surveying more than 90,000 owners and lessees of 2009-2013 model-year cars, the study found that those with pre-paid maintenance packages were ten percent more likely to buy their next car from the same brand.
Dealer satisfaction scores have improved overall, Cadillac nabbed the luxury segment ahead of Audi and Lexus, taking the crown that Lexus held last year. Buick keeps the mass-market dealer satisfaction win in the family, finishing ahead of Volkswagen and last year's winner GMC. The study also found that service department use of tablets increased customer satisfaction, as did "best practices" like "providing helpful advice." Who knew?
You can find details on those and more findings in the press release below.

VW CEO talks up 20 new plug-in models in Frankfurt

For years now, Volkswagen has dreamed big, forming plans to become the world's largest automaker. That trajectory includes a big plug-in vehicle push, and the CEO of Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, said that his group of companies will bring out 20 more EVs and plug-in hybrids by 2020. The list includes the next Phaeton and the Audi A8. "No commitment to electro-mobility can be any clearer than that," Winterkorn said, according to a VW press release. "Our Group already has the largest connected vehicle fleet on the road. By 2020 we will have transformed all of our new cars into smartphones on wheels." Perhaps most illustrative, Winterkorn admitted that the auto industry has turned a corner. "Technological leadership is no longer solely defined in terms of horsepower and torque," he said. "We are taking the precision, enduring value and quality of our cars into the new, digital world." The VW group is also showing off new plug-in concepts in Frankfurt this week, like the Tiguan GTE and the Porsche Mission E. Winterkorn's prepared remarks do not give out the details of these vehicles, but we'll have all the info from the show floor in short order. Stay tuned. PROF. DR. MARTIN WINTERKORN: "THE REINVENTION OF VOLKSWAGEN" 14/09/15 from Volkswagen Group 20 more electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2020 announced Group not only has broadest electric fleet, but also largest connected vehicle fleet on the road Customers should benefit from automated driving technologies as quickly as possible Volkswagen taking precision, enduring value and quality of its cars into the digital world Wolfsburg/Frankfurt am Main, September 14, 2015 – In the Volkswagen Group, there is a sense that a new era is dawning. On the eve of the 66th International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main the CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, said on Monday evening: "We are in the process of reinventing Europe's largest automaker, laying the technological, economic and structural foundations." The Group Chairman announced there would be 20 more electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2020 – from compact cars to the next Phaeton and Audi A8: "No commitment to electro-mobility can be any clearer than that." He said the Group already had the broadest electric fleet in the automobile world, and added that Volkswagen was also at the forefront when it came to the future-oriented field of digitisation: "Our Group already has the largest connected vehicle fleet on the road.

Italian investigators search Lambo headquarters in VW probe

Italian investigators searched Lamborghini headquarters on Oct. 15 to look for evidence of managers' involvement in Volkswagen's emissions cheating. VW's main office in Verona was also inspected, according to Reuters. Lamborghini is owned by Volkswagen, and Lambo in turn is listed as the owner of VW Group Italia. Authorities wanted to find out if employees were conscious that the vehicles were skirting emissions rules. "It is one thing if I sell water and pretend it's wine, but if I sell water believing it is wine it's different." Verona chief prosecutor Mario Giulio Schinaia said to Reuters. Italian newspaper Gazetta del Sud reported that several managers in Italy were under investigation for alleged fraud. Prosecutors in Germany have also been rigorously investigating VW, and they recently staged a similar raid on the company's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The automaker reportedly turned over documents and other data relating to the software defeat device. Meanwhile, VW's internal investigation has turned up little wrongdoing, though a recent leak suggested otherwise, and at least 30 managers could have known about the defeat device. The automaker has disputed that figure. Volkswagen of America CEO Michael Horn testified before Congress that he believed only a few individuals were involved. The situation hasn't been easy on VW in the US, either. The Department of Justice has also been pursuing an investigation into the automaker. Plus, state attorneys general are filing lawsuits against the company for defrauding customers. VW has until Nov. 20 to explain a repair for the problem to the California Air Resources Board. Related Video: