We have a lot more information about VW's diesel scandal, but no official solution yet for owners; the production Tesla Model X has made its grand entrance; and there are some controversial new ads for the Chevy Volt.
This is our video look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending on Friday, October 2, 2015.
This week, the Volkswagen diesel scandal was once again, by far, the hottest topic for coverage, comments, and discussion. Considering the company’s admissions from the previous week—that it used a software-based means to skirt federal emissions regulations, we looked at the range of emotions and responses from VW TDI drivers, as well as the generally stunned industry reactions. We also examined some of the reasons why Volkswagen cheated on diesel emissions. And while we’re still waiting to see what the fines and lawsuits will cost—in addition to the cost of the fix itself—the transgressions are already costing VW and Audi big, in their reputation with car owners.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk even spoke out about the VW mess in one interview, speculating that he thought that engineers, under pressure and up against a wall for engine efficiency, might have done it out of desperation.
Tuesday night, Musk introduced the long-anticipated Model X sport utility wagon to an audience at the company’s Fremont, California plant. With five-star safety ratings, 5,000-pound towing capacity, seating for up to seven, and as demonstrated, production ‘falcon-wing’ doors that can open in tight parking spaces and garages—as well as 257 miles of range and available Ludicrous mode—the Model X may be arriving late, but it’s delivered a little more than originally anticipated.
It wasn’t all Volkswagen atonement and Tesla hype, however. Honda teased pictures of its all-new hydrogen fuel cell production car that will be revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show, later this month, go on sale in Japan next spring, and likely be offered in California sometime later. And could the Mirai, the rival fuel-cell model from Toyota that’s already available in California, be joined in the future by multiple variants sharing its technology?
Formula E racing is blasting ahead, with higher power limits allowed for season two. It’s an exciting frontier of motorsports, as the format and mechanicals aren’t so heavily restricted, so all the cars sound and behave a bit different.
And within a day of revealing a set of new ads for the 2016 Chevy Volt—one of which compares pure battery electric vehicles like the Leaf to being stuck on an elevator—the automaker revealed that it’s testing autonomous-vehicle technology on the Chevy Volt, beginning next year. It’s going to keep trips within its Warren, Michigan tech campus, but we do hope nobody gets stuck.
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