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Car Club USA: Waterfest

Car Club USA travels back to Englishtown Raceway Park for Waterfest, a celebration of water-cooled Audi and Volkswagen cars. We catch up with a pair of VW autocross contestants racing for top prize, and a young Audi owner hoping to win best in show for the Garden State Euros car club. "It's massive," explained Garden State Euro's Ryan Topken. "You have tons of vendors, tons of events going on. There's the show. There's the drag strip. There's autocross." "It's pretty much like a frat party for Volkswagens," added fellow club member Carlin Belkowski. Will the guys from Garden State Euros head home with any hardware? Each Car Club USA episode features a different car club or event from across the US, where passionate owner communities gather to share automotive experiences and embark on incredible adventures. From Main Street cruises to off-road trails, catch all the latest car club activity on Autoblog.

ACEEE strips away VW's green car scores

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is confirming that the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal has put a black mark on its green ratings. As a result, the group is pulling VW diesel vehicles off of its "Green Scores" list because it was recently revealed that VW diesels might be emitting as much as 40 times the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions during normal driving as the official test results show. The ACEEE added that other German makers of diesel vehicles' "Green Scores" are safe, for now. Diesels from VW and the company's Audi division didn't exacatly top the ACEEE's list of greenest vehicles for 2015. That honor went to electric vehicles like the Smart ForTwo ED, Chevrolet Spark EV and Fiat 500E. The Toyota Prius C hybrid snuck in at number 4, while the Nissan Leaf battery-electric took the fifth spot. That said, the VW diesels did perform pretty well, according to the group. "These scores are no longer reasonable estimations of the environmental impact of the Volkswagen diesels. Volkswagen's diesel cars have performed well on ACEEE's annual rankings since 2009, hovering just below our list of the top twelve "Greenest" vehicles with Green Scores in the high 40s," wrote Shruti Vaidyanathan, senior transportation researcher at the ACEEE. "However, a 40-fold increase in on-road NOx would mean that these vehicles did not deserve those high Green Scores." For those curious, the Ram 2500 pickup topped the ACEEE's "Meanest" vehicle of 2015, followed by the Chevrolet G2500 Express/GMC Savana. No diesels showed up on that list of environmentally-damaging vehicles. You can read the ACEEE's statement on VW below. Why we are suspending Volkswagen diesel Green Scores on greenercars.org by Shruti Vaidyanathan, Senior Transportation Researcher On September 18th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) slapped the Volkswagen Group with a notice of violation (link is external) of the Clean Air Act for circumventing EPA emission standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Volkswagen has now acknowledged using so-called "defeat devices" on its diesel cars that turn on full emissions control technologies while in testing mode but allow the vehicles to emit nitrogen oxide levels up to 40 times the certified level during normal operation.

VW will delay projects to cope with diesel scandal

Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal will require the sacrifice of far more than just executives and money. It's also going to result in the cancellation of various projects, a process that new CEO Matthias Mueller said "won't be painless." "We will review all planned investments, and what isn't absolutely vital will be canceled or delayed," Mueller said while addressing the embattled company's employees. The former Porsche boss also said the money set aside by the German giant – about $7.29 billion – won't be enough to cover recall expenses, fines from governments in affected countries, and the expected deluge of lawsuits from disgruntled TDI owners. According to Bloomberg, that figure probably won't even be enough to match the fines Uncle Sam is likely charge, pegged to be around $7.4 billion, according to one analyst. It's expected that VW could delay a further push for share in the North American market, which would include a $1-billion investment in its Puebla, Mexico, factory. But it will take more than cancellations and delays, analysts claim. "It's going to be tough to find projects they could chop that will actually move the needle," JPMorgan Chase's Jose Asumendi told Bloomberg. "What they really need to do is get costs under control." That, according to Bloomberg, is already setting up a showdown between management and labor. The latter wants a reduction in VW's $17.4-billion research-and-development budget – the world's largest and more than what Ford and General Motors spend combined – while the former wants to slash personnel costs. Bloomberg also spoke to analysts who claimed the company should look into reductions in purchasing costs as well as trimming sponsorships. It's impossible to know just how extreme Volkswagen will need to get with cancellations, delays, and cost-cutting, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the effects of this scandal will likely be felt far longer than the controversies that surrounded other automakers like General Motors and Toyota. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: John Macdougall / AFP / Getty Images Earnings/Financials Green Plants/Manufacturing Recalls Volkswagen Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal matthias mueller