Volkswagen prepares Malaysia as its ASEAN electrified vehicle export hub Reported on April 25, 2025, Volkswagen Group Malaysia has signaled a bold push toward electrification in Southeast Asia, confirming plans to assemble electrified vehicles locally with the goal of exporting to key ASEAN markets. At a recent event marking the start of local assembly for the Audi Q7 MHEV at DRB-Hicom’s Pekan plant, the company announced it is developing a com...

News  Updated at: 2025/05/02

VW halts shipments to U.S. as it plans an “import fee” On April 1, VW dealers in the U.S. received a memo notifying them of "temporary adjustments" to deliveries and pricing as  it anticipates changes in U.S. tariffs to impact pricing on vehicles imported from Mexico and Europe. The memo said production at the company’s assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee will be impacted as well but did not specify which models. VW builds the Atlas a...

News  Updated at: 2025/04/05

VW to cut one shift of production at Chattanooga plant, UAW files charges On March 13, Volkswagen announced it is returning its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a primarily two-shift production model on March 31 and is asking workers to voluntarily quit. The Chattanooga plant, which builds the ID.4 electric crossover, as well as the Atlas and Allas Sport SUVs, currently operates on three shifts.  Production employees will be offered a voluntar...

News  Updated at: 2025/03/14

VW ID.4 and Audi Q4 E-Tron EVs recalled in U.S. over software issue On February 28, Volkswagen and Audi announced they are recalling 60,490 electric vehicles in the U.S. because of a potential software issue that could prevent shift-lever indicators on instrument panels to be seen. The recall includes 2021-2023 VW ID.4 and 2022-2023 Audi Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback electric crossovers, which are built on the VW Group's MEB platform.  The a...

News  Updated at: 2025/03/08

VW restarts ID.4 production in Chattanooga, announces 2025 pricing On February 3, Volkswagen of America announced that production has restarted with the 2025 ID.4 at its Chattanooga plant with 82 kWh models, which carry a starting MSRP of USD 45,095 for the rear-wheel-drive Pro and USD 48,995 for the AWD Pro. The rear-wheel-drive Pro S starts at USD 50,195 MSRP and the AWD Pro S carries a sticker price of USD 54,095. For 2025, the Pro S Plus is o...

News  Updated at: 2025/02/05

Audi and Porsche consider U.S. production to counter tariffs The tariffs on car imports announced by U.S. President Donald Trump are putting the VW Group and its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche under pressure. The two brands currently produce exclusively outside the U.S. and would be severely affected by additional import duties. According to a report in German media, several people familiar with the matter say that the group is now considering set...

News  Updated at: 2025/01/31

VW officially cancels delayed ID.7 EV for North America Volkswagen no longer plans to bring its ID.7 electric sedan to the U.S. and Canada. A VW spokesperson cited “the ongoing challenging EV climate” for the decision to not import the model, though, “Electric vehicles continue to be a core part of Volkswagen’s long-term product strategy, and new electric models will continue to be introduced for this market”.  The ID.7 was originally ...

News  Updated at: 2025/01/30

VW announces support to 26 solar and wind farms in Europe On January 16, VW announced its expanded commitment to renewable energy, supporting large-scale wind and solar farms across Europe to help customers charge their ID. electric vehicles with carbon-neutral power. In 2024, the company-backed projects, including a solar park in Portugal and a wind farm in Sweden, generated approximately 1.1 TWh of green power, enough to supply 300,000 househol...

News  Updated at: 2025/01/17

VW to resume U.S. production of ID.4 with countermeasure for door handle parts On January 3, Volkswagen of America announced that it has door handle parts that will enable it to start selling ID.4 electric vehicles again in the U.S. and to replace the affected parts for current owners of ID.4 vehicles. Dealers will be able to repair customer vehicles that were subject to the recall and sell ID.4 vehicles that were in existing stock, once repaire...

News  Updated at: 2025/01/09

VW reaches agreement with unions for positioning itself competitively for future On December 20, VW Group announced the "Zukunft VW [Future Volkswagen]" agreement with IG Metall and the Works Council, a comprehensive strategy to enhance competitiveness, ensure job security, and lead in sustainable mobility. The agreement focuses on cost reduction, capacity adjustments, and technological advancements. By 2030, VW aims to become the globally leadin...

News  Updated at: 2024/12/21

Tesla tops 2024 Made in America Auto Index for second consecutive year On December 11, American University's Kogod School of Business, located in Washington D.C., announced results of the 2024 Made in America Auto Index, which puts Tesla at the top of its rankings for the second year in a row.  The Auto Index is meant to be a consumer research tool to provide accessible data about the car manufacturers, makes, and models that are most "American"...

News  Updated at: 2024/12/12

VW launches affordable pure trims for ID.3, ID.4, and ID.5 On December 2, VW introduced entry-level Pure variants for the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.5 models with updated pricing and specifications: ID.3 Pure features 170 hp motor, 52 kWh battery, and provides 388 km range. It charges at 7.2 kW (AC) in around 8 hours or 145 kW (DC) in around 20 minutes. Pricing starts at EUR 21,300. ID.4 Pure features 170 hp motor, 55 kWh battery, and provides 363 km ra...

News  Updated at: 2024/12/03

VW Brazil announces record exports in October 2024 On November 7, VW Brazil reported record-breaking export levels in October 2024, with 12,049 units shipped, the highest since 2018. Exports for January through October 2024 reached 78,623 units, a 48.5% increase from the same period in 2023, despite a 7.6% decline in Brazil’s overall light vehicle exports. The main markets are Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia, while the most exported models incl...

News  Updated at: 2024/11/13

UAW, VW begin negotiations on first contract at Chattanooga plant On September 19, negotiations between the UAW and VW kicked off when the union’s 20-person elected bargaining committee passed more than 800 demands to the automaker, addressing issues from wage and benefit concerns to health and safety issues.  This will be the first contract the union and company negotiate for more than 4,000 workers at the Chattanooga plant where the Atlas, A...

News  Updated at: 2024/09/27

VW stops sale, production of ID.4 at Chattanooga plant over faulty door handles On September 18, Volkswagen announced it is issuing a stop-sale on its ID.4 electric crossover and will halt production in Chattanooga, Tennessee as it searches for a remedy to fix faulty door handles, furloughing 200 employees starting September 23. VW is recalling 99,064 ID.4s because of defective door handles that offer insufficient water protection, which can lead...

News  Updated at: 2024/09/19

VW brings ChatGPT to its U.S. vehicles via voice assist from Cerence On September 3, Volkswagen of America announced the launch of its ChatGPT-integrated Plus Speech voice assistant in the U.S. Starting September 6, 2024, this feature will be installed first in 2025 Jetta and Jetta GLI models, along with MY24 ID.4 vehicles equipped with an 82-kWh battery, giving both existing and new customers access to an artificial intelligence database.  Powe...

News  Updated at: 2024/09/04

Tesla leads again in 2024 American-Made Index On June 18, Cars.com revealed results of its 19th annual American-Made Index, which evaluated more than 400 vehicles to generate this year's list of 100 vehicles contributing most to the U.S. economy. The five primary factors considered include: Location of final assembly  Percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts Country of origin for available engines Country of origin for available transmissions U.S....

News  Updated at: 2024/06/19

Ford to unveil second EV to be built at Cologne on July 10 On July 10, Ford will unveil the second full-electric model to be built at its Cologne EV Center in Germany, also based on VW's MEB platform used by the Ford Explorer EV, which officially began production on June 4. Ford has said that the second EV, a sports crossover, will begin production at the Cologne plant later in 2024. The relationship between the Ford Explorer and the new sports c...

News  Updated at: 2024/06/08

2024 China NEV-APEAL Study: International brands, domestic startups lead On May 30, J.D. Power, a market research company, released the 2024 China New Energy Vehicle - Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (NEV-APEAL) Study. The 2024 study is based on responses from 9,937 NEV owners who purchased their vehicle between June 2023 and January 2024. The study includes 105 models from 48 different brands and was fielded from December 2023 throu...

News  Updated at: 2024/06/05

VW’s 2024 ID.4 SUV earns TOP SAFETY PICK honors from IIHS in U.S. On June 4, Volkswagen of America announced that the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV was named a TOP SAFETY PICK by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).  The ID.4 joins the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, also built at VW’s Chattanooga Assembly Plant, on the 2024 TOP SAFETY PICK list. To qualify for the 2024 TOP SAFETY PICK award, vehicles need good...

News  Updated at: 2024/06/05