Publicly, Volkswagen executives are reluctant to refer to the ongoing diesel-emissions scandal as such. At an event on the eve of this year’s Paris auto show, VW CEO Matthias Müller referred to the debacle as a thing “we currently need to cope with,” adding the understatement that “a great deal has changed at Volkswagen over the last 12 months.” Separately, other executives have verbally danced around the subject even while earnestly pressing their apologies at press conferences and auto shows. Diesel woes have become a sort of Voldemort within the halls of Wolfsburg?it’s the scandal that must not be named?but it’s a huge deal. With fines and criminal charges mounting, Volkswagen is in a real bind, but that’s not stopping it from trying to turn the corner and press forward aggressively with new product plans and sales strategies After Diesel. We spoke with the man at the helm of Volkswagen’s newly created North American division, Hinrich J. Woebcken, about what to expect here in the United States.
As opposed to cars that make life worse" Electrics factor hugely into VW’s way forward.
“Think New”
The tagline Think New, which VW debuted in Paris, isn’t being applied only to its coming range of fully electric cars. Volkswagen is doing plenty of new thinking to minimize the sales fallout now. For the 2017 U.S. lineup, that means an updated e-Golf with more driving range (due next year) to b...