VW will ax Passat sedan in Europe, U.S., sources say

VW will drop the midsize sedan as it focuses on electric cars and SUVs, sources familiar with the brand's future product rollout said.

Diess has asked VW's controlling Piech and Porsche families to back a contract extension in a bid to break a management deadlock at the automaker, Reuters reported.

The latest call from Diess to speed up VW's overhaul reflects the challenges he has had pushing through reforms at the automaker.

VW has set up a project team to work on developing a small battery-powered car that would go on sale in 2023 at the earliest.

The agency is investigating the problem in some Model S and Model X vehicles.

A month of new coronavirus lockdowns is expected to depress November sales by 70 percent or more. Showrooms can reopen starting Saturday but with stricter health measures in place.

Some strategic missteps, defaults on debt obligations and an investigation into possible violations of disclosure laws have forced Huachen to restructure.

Thomas Ulbrich is overseeing the refitting of VW plants in Europe, the U.S. and China to build battery-powered cars. He talked about the challenges.

Hydrogen-fuel cell technology has been touted as a better zero-emissions solution, but component costs have been holding it back. Plastic Omnium executives offered a number of possible ways to bring those costs in line with battery electric vehicles.

The full-electric hatchback has overcome its launch problems to pass rivals such as the Renault Zoe and Tesla Model 3.