Larry P. Vellequette

VW said ending the Passat will allow its U.S. plant flexibility to boost sales of its other products, the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport crossovers, as well as the launch of the ID4 EV there next year.

CEO Herbert Diess has laid out a vision of a much different automotive world from the one that exists today.

VW executives laid out ambitious goals for the region and said the automaker will design and make its own batteries, roll out a Level 4 autonomous vehicle in 2026 and beat Tesla at its own game.

Developed in-house by Toyota Connected, Lexus Interface ditches the joysticks and touchpads that cost it sales in favor of a more intuitive system.

Audi of America President Daniel Weissland identified the vendor in an email to dealers as Shift Digital, which is “used by Audi, Volkswagen, and some authorized dealers in the United States and Canada.”

The automaker told dealers the new Taos compact crossover built at the Mexico plant will still launch in early June but the suspension will slow inventory buildup.

The performance brand plans its first full EV in the latter half of the decade and will hybridize its lineup by the start of 2025. But between now and then, it will be "celebrating the combustion engine."

The freshened compact crossover arrives in U.S. dealerships this autumn with updated styling and upgraded interior and safety gear.

The profitability equation is a challenge facing not only VW, but other automakers as they transition to volume EVs.

At some point internally, top management decided that the risk of misleading reporters and the public — again — was worth the potential reward. And they might be right.

The concept points to a future line of vehicles with enhanced performance, safety and a signature driving style.

The name "Voltswagen" will be placed as an exterior badge on the automaker's electric models in the U.S., a person familiar with the company's plans said.

The pilot plant in Salzgitter, Germany, can recover the vast majority of expensive elements used in production of lithium ion battery cathodes, fueling their remanufacture.

Oliver Schmidt was paroled last week by a German court, less than halfway through his seven-year sentence from the U.S. for his part in Volkswagen's global emissions scandal.

Sales of the base model will be wound down, but the Golf R and Golf GTI models, manufactured in Germany, will continue to be imported into the U.S. as the Puebla plant transitions to new products, including the Taos subcompact crossover.