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VW boss confirms Subaru-aping Golf Alltrack for US

Subaru needs to watch out, because the Japanese brand with a utilitarian image has a big bull's eye on its back. Not only is Acura considering going 100-percent all-wheel drive in a bid to mimic the successful automaker, Volkswagen has just confirmed that the Golf Alltrack is coming to the US as another competitor for Subaru's popular Outback crossover. Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn has confirmed the addition of the higher-riding, all-wheel drive version of the Golf SportWagen to Automotive News, indicating that the model will arrive in the US in 2016. "That's what our dealers, our customers, are asking us for," he said to the industry publication. The Golf Alltrack, which debuted at the Paris Motor Show in early October, has an extra 0.75 inches of ride height and protective black cladding all the way around. Its biggest mechanical differentiator from other Golfs is its Haldex all-wheel drive system, a setup that can completely unhook from the rear axle when not needed to save fuel. In Europe, the Alltrack is available with a turbocharged 1.8-liter with 178 horsepower and two diesels offering between 109hp and 182 hp. However, Horn made no mention of likely powertrains for the US. Horn tells Automotive News that all-wheel drive tooling is currently being installed at the Puebla, Mexico, factory where the standard Golf Sportwagen is built. VW might have tipped its hand about this possibility several months ago when press shots of the wagon were released for the US with TDI and 4Motion badges. Horn says he expects even the front-wheel drive version to be a sales hit here, suggesting it may eventually account for 50 percent of the Golf range's volume.

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:

UAW tactics called into question at VW's TN plant

The United Auto Workers is in hot water with some of the very workers it is trying to unionize at Volkswagen's Chattanooga assembly plant. According to The Tennessean, eight Volkswagen factory workers have filed complaints against the UAW with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming the union "misled or coerced" them into formally asking for union representation.
The UAW has instituted a major push at the Chattanooga plant to represent the 2,500 hourly laborers that build the VW Passat by using what's called a card-check process. The tactic is opposed by the National Right to Work Legal Defense foundation, the group representing the workers. The card-check process demands that a company recognize a union that obtains the signatures of more than half its workforce, according to The Tennessean. This tactic is in contrast to the more traditional route, which sees employees vote on union representation.
The workers filing the complaint claim that the UAW told them the cards merely called for a secret ballot, rather than an outright demand for union representation. Workers also allege that the UAW has made it overly difficult to reclaim their signed cards, some of which were signed so long ago that they have been rendered invalid. Although the cards can force a company's hand, federal law still allows the company to ask for a secret ballot before yielding to unionized workers.