When the Dieselgate emissions scandal billowed into the public eye in September, it left 475,000 Volkswagen customers with a lot of questions. “Is my vehicle OK to drive?” “Will Volkswagen fix it?” “Can I sell it back?” On Tuesday, many of those questions were finally answered.
Volkswagen has announced that its 2.0-liter diesel settlement program has been preliminarily approved by a United States District Court judge. The engine — found on 2013-2015 VW Beetles, 2010-2015 VW Golfs, 2009-2015 VW Jettas, 2012-2015 VW Passats, and 2010-2013 and 2015 Audi A3s — was fitted with an illegal “defeat device” used to fool emissions tests, and VW has been scrambling to find a solution ever since.
Under the proposed settlement, eligible customers can either sell their car back, end their lease without an early termination penalty, or receive a free emissions modification to bring their vehicle back into compliance. No matter which option they choose, drivers will also receive a cash payment, however, it’s important to note that the settlement is still awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
For additional information or to check vehicle eligibility, head to Volkswagen’s dedicated court settlement website.
The news isn’t so great for the brand’s 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine. The automaker recently proposed a separate solution for the six-cylinder power plants, which involved fixing the vehicles instead of buying them back. CARB rejected the offer, though, stating: “VW’s and Audi’s submissions are incomplete, substantially deficient, and fall far short of meeting the legal requirements to return those vehicles to the claimed certified configuration.” VW says it is working to secure a technical resolution for the diesel V6 as quickly as possible.
For more on VW’s emissions troubles and the future of diesels in the U.S., click here.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.