Volkswagen says significant cost cuts are urgently needed as it reports a steep decline in third-quarter earnings and faces employee representatives angry at the possibility of the automaker’s first plant closures in Germany.

The European Union says it will impose duties on imports of electric vehicles from China on Wednesday after talks between Brussels and Beijing failed to find an amicable solution to their trade dispute.

A senior executive for Volkswagen in China has been deported for allegedly using cocaine and marijuana while on vacation in Thailand.

Volkswagen is considering closing some factories in its home country for the first time in the German automaker’s 87-year history.

Police have revealed much more information about the four people who were killed and the one who was injured in a wrong-way Oakland County crash.

A wrong-way driver caused a crash on I-75 in Royal Oak that killed themself and three other people.

Shares of Rivian are soaring before the opening bell after Volkswagen agreed to invest $1 billion in the electric vehicle maker immediately and a potential total of up to $5 billion as part of a software development agreement.

A Senate inquiry has found BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen have bought parts made by a Chinese company sanctioned under a 2021 law for using forced labor.

The United Auto Workers is aiming for a key victory at Mercedes-Benz in Alabama.

Foreign automakers have been caught flat-footed in China by an electric vehicle boom that has shaken up the market over the last three years.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee says he thinks workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga made a mistake by voting to unionize under the United Auto Workers in a landslide election.

Employees at a Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the United Auto Workers union, boosting the UAW's nationwide effort to organize nonunion factories.

On the eve of a vote on union representation at Volkswagen’s Tennessee factory, Gov. Bill Lee and five other southern governors are telling workers that voting for a union will put jobs in jeopardy.

New vehicle sales in the U.S. rose 5.1% from January through March, as buyers stayed in the market despite high interest rates.

Volkswagen is recalling more than 261,000 cars in the U.S. to fix a potential fuel leak that can increase the risk of fires.

A new report says automakers including Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota are failing to ensure they are not using forced labor as part of their China supply chains.

The White House is lending its support to an auto industry effort to standardize Tesla’s electric vehicle charging plugs for all EVs in the United States, part of a broad effort to stimulate their sales to help combat climate change.

More than 1,000 workers at Volkswagen’s Tennessee factory have signed cards authorizing a vote to be represented by the United Auto Workers union.

Former Audi boss Rupert Stadler has been convicted in connection with the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal.

An ongoing child custody dispute between parents lead to a shootout in a Livonia neighborhood.

More than 500 companies have suspended their business in Russia, and a similar number have withdrawn completely.

The former head of Volkswagen’s luxury division Audi has pleaded guilty to charges tied to the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal.

Volkswagen is unveiling an electric luxury sedan that promises a 435-mile battery range as global and Chinese automakers display their latest SUVs, sedans and muscle cars at the world’s biggest auto show.

A new scholarship program is encouraging Michigan students to enter the electric vehicle and mobility sector.

A new report says climate commitments by companies aren’t always as green as they seem.

California has settled a lawsuit against a German company stemming from the emissions scandal that tarred Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler.

Volkswagen is recalling nearly 225,000 vehicles in the U.S. because the tire pressure monitoring systems may not detect air losses in all four tires at the same time.

Ford is pulling out of its investment in Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle company that it jointly owns mainly with Volkswagen.

Shares in luxury automaker Porsche have risen on their first day of public trading.

German automaker Volkswagen is holding a share offering for a minority stake in its luxury division, Porsche.

Volkswagen has set the price range for the multibillion-euro sale of a minority stake in luxury brand Porsche.

DTE test driving event will take place at Pioneer High School.

Volkswagen has begun production of its first electric vehicle assembled in the United States at a Tennessee plant.

Herbert Diess, the Volkswagen CEO whose image had been tarnished in the fallout from the German automaker’s emissions-cheating scandal, is stepping down.

Landslides caused by heavy rains killed at least 29 people in the state of Pernambuco in northeast Brazil on Saturday.

Executives with German automaker Volkswagen say at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos that supply chain problems exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war are easing but they’re dealing with a huge backlog of orders.

A German court is set to begin hearing a case brought against Volkswagen by a farmer who claims the automaker is partly responsible for the impact that global warming is having on his family business.

Volkswagen is recalling more than 246,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because faulty wiring harnesses can make them brake unexpectedly, sometimes while in traffic.

BMW and Volkswagen have warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing shortages of some vital components, forcing them to reduce vehicle production in Europe.

First came the beeping alarms and the dashboard lights warning that something had gone haywire.

Volkswagen’s Audi luxury brand is recalling 289,000 SUVs in the U.S. because water can get into a control computer under the back seats.

The Supreme Court has turned away appeals from Volkswagen that sought to stop state and local lawsuits related to the 2015 scandal in which the automaker was found to have rigged its vehicles to cheat U.S. diesel emissions tests.

A Volkswagen and a fire truck were involved in a collision Tuesday night on Detroit’s east side.

German automaker Daimler has dismissed a “cease and desist” demand from two environmental groups to commit to ending the sale of combustion engine vehicles by 2030.

Germany's BMW is reporting 4.8 billion euros in profit for the second quarter.

Electrify America, an electric vehicle charging network funded with money paid by Volkswagen as punishment for its emissions cheating scandal, says it plans to more than double its number of charging stations throughout the United States and Canada.

Greenpeace has apologized and Munich police are investigating after a protester parachuted into the stadium and injured two people before Germany’s game against France at the European Championship.

German carmaker Volkswagen has launched a five-year project on the small Greek island of Astypalea to test the adoption of electric vehicles in areas switching to sustainable energy generation.

The U.S. government’s road safety agency has opened two investigations into problems with Volkswagen vehicles, including one that alleges serious gasoline leaks under the hood.

Ford says it will spend $1 billion to modernize its Cologne, Germany, manufacturing center, converting it into a European electric vehicle factory. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)DETROIT – Ford is vowing to convert its entire passenger vehicle lineup in Europe to electric power by 2030 in just the latest sign of the seismic technological changes sweeping the auto industry. Ford expects two-thirds of its European commercial vehicle sales will be electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030. “We are going all in on electric vehicles,” Rowley said. The investment is part of Ford's goal of spending at least $15 billion on electric vehicles from now through 2025.

A widening global shortage of semiconductors for auto parts is forcing major auto companies to halt or slow vehicle production just as they were recovering from pandemic-related factory shutdowns. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)DETROIT – A widening global shortage of semiconductors for auto parts is forcing major auto companies to halt or slow vehicle production just as they were recovering from pandemic-related factory shutdowns. Toyota was forced to slow production of the full-size Tundra pickup at a factory in San Antonio, Texas. "This will minimize the impact of the current semiconductor shortage while ensuring we maintain production at our other North American plants,” Fiat Chrysler said in a statement. The firm lists major players in the automotive chip market as STMicroelectronics, Infineon Technologies, NXP Semiconductor, Texas Instruments and Toshiba.

(AP Photo/Jens Meyer, FILE)DETROIT – Volkswagen is recalling over 105,000 Beetles with faulty Takata front driver’s air bags that can explode and hurl shrapnel. Dealers will replace the front driver's air bags at no cost to owners starting on Feb. 12. But it's recalling them at the behest of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is concerned that the air bags could explode over time. Exploding Takata inflators caused the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 63 million inflators recalled. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide.

FRANKFURT – The European Central Bank held off from strengthening its current economic stimulus but its President Christine Lagarde said there was “little doubt” that more action would be coming at its December meeting as surging coronavirus infections and new restrictions on activity threaten Europe’s economy. “We have little doubt... that the circumstances will warrant the recalibration and the implementation of this recalibrated package," Lagarde said. Analysts believe that is one reason the bank could take no action Thursday, since there already more stimulus still in the pipeline. Massive ECB stimulus and new spending by governments has helped ward off turmoil on financial markets and cushion the downturn. Airlines, hotels, restaurants and other businesses big and small have suffered a devastating drop in activity.

BERLIN – A German court has ruled that former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn must face trial on a second set of charges in the company's diesel emissions scandal, this time accused of market manipulation. Thursday's announcement by the Braunschweig state court followed a decision earlier this month that he must stand trial on fraud charges. No date has been set for either set of proceedings. Winterkorn resigned from Volkswagen days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a notice of violation on Sept. 18, 2015. The court said it sent the charges to trial unchanged.

WASHINGTON – Automaker Daimler AG and subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA have agreed to pay $1.5 billion to the U.S. government and California state regulators to resolve emissions cheating allegations, officials said Monday. The settlement, which includes civil penalties, will also require Daimler to fix the vehicles, officials said. Daimler AG said the settlement would bring costs of about $1.5 billion, while the civil settlement will bring a one-off charge of about $700 million. Fiat Chrysler also is being investigated for allegedly cheating on emissions. In April 2016, the Justice Department asked Daimler to conduct an internal probe into its exhaust emissions certification process.

FRANKFURT A German court has ruled former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn must stand trial on fraud charges in connection with the company's diesel emission scandal in which it sold cars with software that let them cheat on emissions tests. It said four other defendants would face trial on charges of fraud in connection with aggravated tax evasion and illegal advertising. Winterkorn resigned from Volkswagen days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a notice of violation on Sept. 18, 2015. The company had for years been using software that recognized when vehicles were on test stands and turned emission controls on, then turned the emission controls off during normal driving. Volkswagen paid more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines and settlements over the scandal.

OTSEGO COUNTY, Mich. A driver was arrested after leading police on a chase over the Mackinac Bridge on Thursday morning. Officials say the driver, a 31-year-old woman from Waterford, initially pulled over but then fled the scene. Stop sticks were successfully deployed and the Volkswagen continued to drive across the Mackinac Bridge on its rims. Police say bridge traffic was halted by the Mackinac Bridge Authority after they were notified of the situation. The woman was then arrested and transported to the Otsego County Jail.

Chinas auto sales surged 14.5% in May, a second straight month of growth as the global industrys biggest market gradually recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)HONG KONG Chinas auto sales surged 14.5% in May, a second straight month of growth as the global industrys biggest market gradually recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. Sales fell 9.6% last year, their second straight annual decline. The downturn is squeezing brands that are investing billions of dollars to develop electric vehicles under pressure to meet government sales targets. Demand for electric vehicles weakened last year after Beijing reduced subsidies that helped to make China their biggest market, accounting for half of global sales.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)DEARBORN, Mich. DEARBORN, Mich.Ford and Volkswagen will each offer a small city van, a larger cargo van, a small pickup truck and an electric vehicle as part of their global alliance announced last year. The companies announced some details of what the venture will yield Wednesday, with the city van created by VW and a 1-ton cargo van engineered by Ford to be sold by both companies. Also, VW will make a small pickup built on the underpinnings of Ford's Ranger, and Ford will build an unidentified electric vehicle for Europe based on VW's modular design, the companies said. VW would start selling the pickup truck in 2022, and the electric vehicle would come in 2023, the companies said in a statement. The companies also said last year that they would jointly fund autonomous vehicle development, with VW investing in Argo AI, a Pittsburgh company largely owned by Ford.

BEIJING Volkswagen is spending 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) to expand its presence in Chinas electric car industry in the biggest foreign investment announced since the country's economy began to reopen following the coronavirus pandemic. Volkswagen AG said Friday it will buy control of its electric vehicle venture with a Chinese partner in a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) deal. The ruling Communist Party scrapped limits on foreign ownership of electric vehicle makers in 2018 to promote industry development. By gaining management control, Volkswagen is paving the way for more electric models and infrastructure, the companys announcement said. GM, Nissan, BMW AG and other automakers also have joint ventures with Chinese partners to develop lower-cost electric models.

According to the ruling, Volkswagen is basically obliged to pay damages to car owners affected by the diesel scandal. Volkswagen said the decision announced Monday would clear the way for settlement of remaining consumer claims in Germany. The decision affects some 60,000 individual claims brought by car owners there; around 262,000 others have already been covered by an 830 million-euro ($904 million) class-action settlement. For the majority of the 60,000 pending cases, this ruling provides clarity, the company said in a statement. He had sought the full purchase price but the court ruled he must accept less due to depreciation related to the distance he drove.

German prosecutors say they have charged four current and former personnel managers at Volkswagen over the payment of allegedly excessive salaries and bonuses to members of the automaker's influential employee council. Prosecutors in Braunschweig said Tuesday that the four two former management board members, along with one current and one former senior manager, whom they didn't identify by name were charged with breach of trust. They are accused of granting five members of the employee council, including its head, excessive salaries and bonuses between 2011 and 2016. Prosecutors allege that the former and current managers disregarded legal requirements in determining the payments. They say that their decisions cost Volkswagen 5.05 million euros ($5.57 million).

BERLIN The German government is supercharging subsidies for electric cars on the day the country's biggest automaker began production of a new all-electric vehicle. Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said officials and industry representatives agreed late Monday to increase by half the existing government incentives for electric vehicles with a list price of 40,000 euros ($44,500). German news agency dpa reported that half of the subsidy, in future amounting to 6,000 euros, will be borne by industry. The subsidy will also be extended from the end of 2020 currently to the end of 2025. The announcement came as German automaker Volkswagen began mass production of its ID.3 electric car in the eastern town of Zwickau.

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Volkswagen has paused a planned $1.4 billion investment in Turkey as a result of the country's military offensive in Syria. The 1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) plant was reportedly slated to produce the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb. Volkswagen Group already has one factory in Turkey, which produces commercial vehicles for its MAN subsidiary. Turkey launched an invasion last week of territory in Northern Syria controlled by the Kurds, an ethnic minority long allied with the United States that played a major role in the fight against ISIS. Trump also said the United States would raise tariffs on Turkish steel exports to 50% and "immediately" stop trade negotiations with Ankara.

Hyundai does not intend to be left behind in the high-stakes race to build mass-market electric and self-driving cars. (CNN) - Hyundai does not intend to be left behind in the high-stakes race to build mass-market electric and self-driving cars. The race to get fully autonomous cars on the roads is underway globally, and carmakers are under pressure to either get on board or risk getting left behind. Ford and Baidu have teamed up to develop self-driving cars in China. And Volkswagen started testing electric cars fitted with autonomous technology on a section of Hamburg's streets.

DETROIT - A senior manager at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is facing a list of federal charges in connection with accusations he purposely falsified diesel emissions results. The indictment claims Parma, a 40-year-old Italian citizen living in Bloomfield Hills, worked as a senior manager of diesel drivability and emissions at FCA from 2010 to 2016. Parma is accused of operating an elaborate scheme to install a "defeat device" in the engines to reduce emissions during testing. Volkswagen had to pay $2 billion in fines for turning off the emissions controls except for when it was tested. FCA's emissions controls worked, but not as well as when the testing was done.

DETROIT - Here's what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon (watch the episode above).Volkswagen CEO, chairman charged in emissions scandalVolkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and the company's chairman, Hans Dieter Ptsch, were charged by German prosecutors on Tuesday with stock market manipulation tied to the carmaker's diesel emissions scandal. Crews rescue seniors from fire that destroyed Detroit apartment complexCrews rushed in Monday to rescue residents of a three-story, 54-unit building senior apartment complex as it burned on Detroit's east side. Metro Detroit weather: When to expect the next rainfallWe will see a beautiful blend of sun and clouds today with no threat of any rain, and highs in the mid 70s. Brexit: UK Supreme Court rules suspension of Parliament was illegalIn a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain's highest court ruled Tuesday that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country's Brexit deadline was illegal. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

DETROIT - Here's what's coming up on Local 4 News at Noon:Volkswagen CEO, chairman charged in emissions scandalVolkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and the company's chairman, Hans Dieter Ptsch, were charged by German prosecutors on Tuesday with stock market manipulation tied to the carmaker's diesel emissions scandal. Crews rescue seniors from fire that destroyed Detroit apartment complexCrews rushed in Monday to rescue residents of a three-story, 54-unit building senior apartment complex as it burned on Detroit's east side. Metro Detroit weather: When to expect the next rainfallWe will see a beautiful blend of sun and clouds today with no threat of any rain, and highs in the mid 70s. Brexit: UK Supreme Court rules suspension of Parliament was illegalIn a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain's highest court ruled Tuesday that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country's Brexit deadline was illegal. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

(CNN) - Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and the company's chairman, Hans Dieter Ptsch, were charged by German prosecutors on Tuesday with market manipulation tied to the carmaker's diesel emissions scandal. The two executives are accused of failing to disclose the huge financial risks of the diesel scandal to shareholders in a timely fashion. Martin Winterkorn, the former CEO of Volkswagen, was also charged by prosecutors. It's the latest fallout from Volkswagen's bombshell admission in 2015 that it had rigged millions of diesel cars worldwide to cheat on emissions tests, a scandal that has cost the company more than $30 billion. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company.

WOLFSBURG, Germany - After unveiling a new brand identity and logo, Volkswagen revealed a new electric car to go along with it. The ID.3, a compact hatchback, is the first in a planned family of ID electric cars from the automaker. At its Volkswagen Group event in Frankfurt, Germany, VW executives spoke a lot about how the ID.3 needs to represent Volkswagen's return to its early days as a likable maker of fun cars like the Beetle. VW also promises it will be fun to drive, but we'll have to see about that later. The base car will start at under 30,000 euros.

Sean Gallup/2017 Getty ImagesWOLFSBURG, Germany - Volkswagen is picking up the pace in its bid to dominate the auto industry's electric future. The group plans to launch almost 70 new electric models in the next decade, and hopes to build 22 million electric cars over this period. Volkswagen is investing 900 million ($993 million) into the Northvolt joint venture. By 2021, the plant is expected to produce 330,000 vehicles per year, making it Europe's "largest and most efficient electric vehicle plant," according to Volkswagen. The ID.3 will be the first vehicle to be built on this new modular electric car production platform, or MEB.

But it is not alone among traditional carmakers in pouring money into electric cars, as expectations rise of future mass adoption, encouraged by falling battery costs and government subsidies. Elon Musk's Tesla has the headstart it sold more than 220,000 electric cars in 2018, according to LMC Automotive, roughly 70,000 more than its nearest competitor, Chinese state-owned BAIC Group. Volkswagen's earlier electric cars, the e-Up! It has a range of 261 miles (420 kilometers), higher than previous Volkswagen electric models. Future electric vehicles include the Audi E-Tron and Porsche Taycan.

(CNN) - Ferdinand Piech, who helped turn Volkswagen into the world's biggest carmaker before resigning ahead of one of the most tumultuous periods in the company's history, has died. Piech led the German automotive giant in various capacities for more than two decades. The grandson of legendary carmaker Ferdinand Porsche, Piech began his career at Audi and took over as CEO of Volkswagen in 1993. Piech stepped down as Volkswagen chairman in April 2015 after a failed attempt to oust CEO Martin Winterkorn, who had led the company for eight years. A holding company run by members of the the Porsche and Piech families still controls about 53% of the Volkswagen Group.

The ads for Volkswagen and Philadelphia cream cheese were investigated by the UK Advertising Standards Agency after viewers complained they perpetuated gender stereotypes. The ads, for Volkswagen and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, were investigated by the UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) after viewers complained they perpetuated gender stereotypes. New rules that came into force in June prohibit depictions of gender that "are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offense." It prompted three complaints from viewers, and the ASA found it showed a woman "engaged in a stereotypical care-giving role." A second commercial for Philadelphia Cream Cheese showed two dads looking after their children at a restaurant with a conveyer belt.

The move will essentially put the four automakers on track to comply with tougher emissions rules even as the Trump administration works to roll back policies put in place under President Barack Obama. Regulatory pressures around the world, including in Europe and China, are pushing automakers to produce electric vehicles. Automakers anticipate consumers will start buying more electric vehicles in the future as prices drop. Automakers are spending billions to develop electric vehicles and more fuel-efficient gas vehicles, and many fear regulatory uncertainty will set back their efforts. The Obama rules would have required automakers to produce vehicles with an average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 model year vehicles.

They also said they were investigating how to develop the next generation of vehicles, such as electric and self-driving cars. All of the world's major automakers are racing to develop electric and self-driving cars. Volkswagen has said previously that it will spend 44 billion ($50 billion) by 2023 on an "electric offensive" to develop electric cars, self-driving vehicles and other new technology. But much of the $11 billion restructuring is with an eye towards developing electric and self-driving cars. Volkswagen estimates that electric vehicles will make up 40% of its fleet by 2030.

After roughly seven decades of production and three generations of designs, Volkswagen is retiring its iconic Beetle. (CNN) - After roughly seven decades of production and three generations of designs, Volkswagen is retiring its iconic Beetle. Volkswagen created new Beetle generations in 1998 and 2012. "It's impossible to imagine where Volkswagen would be without the Beetle," Volkswagen of America president and CEO Scott Keogh said in a statement. The final Beetle to roll off the assembly line will be displayed at a Volkswagen museum in Puebla, the company said.