Tag Archives: VW Group

buying a new car

The demise and deceit of diesel cars

We’re told that by 2040 there won’t be diesel (or petrol) cars on UK (or French) roads.

But with progress running at the pace it does, perhaps this will happen sooner.

So what’s the problem now, you might ask?

The problem is to do with pollution, when we buy diesel cars with high levels of NOx.

This matters most where pollution levels are high, in cities in particular, because our health and that of pedestrians can be affected.

I am always surprised that so many motorists turn a blind eye to this sort of thing when CO2 emission details are available in the public domain. Maybe it shows the power of a trusted brand. Or a more Clarkson-esque attitude in favour of a car’s driving performance and looks? But were so many of us wise to trust car manufacturers to take care of this for us?

Dieselgate

An added concern is the Dieselgate scandal that is unfolding in the UK as I write this.

Amazingly motorists are still buying cars from manufacturers that have defrauded others here. Were VW a bank or a politician, for example, we’d be spitting abuse at them using social media. And yet we seem to buy VW Group cars with abandon – letting fleet sales shore up stakeholder profits…

As I see it, VW should be held to account for
+ fraudulent behaviour
+ addressing car performance problems after the dieselgate ‘fix’ – UK law firm Harcus Sinclair reports that out of 9,500 VW Group owners, 5,052 have reported problems with their car after their emissions fix.

We’ll have to wait for the Government’s Transport Select Committee to report on this matter to know what our options are in the light of the US lawsuit and partial settlement of $15.3 billion (£12.3 billion) for affected US motorists.

Car Models with Diesel Concerns

So, which are the stated ‘best cars’ with unacceptably high emissions and which are the models involved in the Dieselgate scandal?

I have been reading the Which? Car Guide 2017/18. They’ve clearly struggled with the ethical debate of listing offenders as ‘Best Buys’ (the Audi A3 Saloon is a good example here with emissions so high they wouldn’t pass the ancient Euro 1 standard) so instead they’ve listed their ‘best’ car choices by category and flagged them up with either Emissions Warning (EW) or Dieselgate (DG) so we know what we are buying, in future.

The following manufacturers and models are listed by Which? as a best car in their category despite an ‘Emissions Warning (EW)’ or Dieselgate (DG) flag.

Audi A1 (2010-) DG
Audi A3 (2012-) DG
Audi A3 Cabriolet (2014-) DG
Audi A3 Saloon (2013-) DG & EW

BMW 2 Series convertible (2015-) EW
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe (2014-) EW
BMW 6 Series Coupe (2011-) EW
BMW X3 (2010-) EW

Citroen Berlingo Multispace (2008-) EW

Ford Focus (2011-) EW
Ford Galaxy (2015-) EW
Ford S-Max (2015-) EW

Honda Civic (2012-2017) EW

Hyundai i10 (2014-) EW
Hyundai i40 (2012-) EW
Hyundai IX35 (2010-2015) EW

Kia Sportage (2016-) EW

Lexus IS (2013-) EW

Mercedes-Benz SL (2012-) EW

Mini (2014-) EW

Nissan Pulsar (2014-) EW

Porsche 911 Carrera (2012-) EW
Porsche Cayenne (2010-) EW

Seat Alhambra (2010-) DG
Seat Ateca (2016-) EW

Skoda Octavia Estate (2013-) DG & EW
Skoda Superb Estate (2010-2015) DG

Toyota Aygo (2014) EW
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (2016-) EW

Subaru Outback (2015-) EW

Toyota Yaris (2011-) EW

Volkswagen Polo (2009-) DG
Volkswagen Sharan (2010-) DG
Volkswagen Tiguan (2016-) EW
Volkswagen Up (2012-) EW

What Should You Do?

1) If you have a choice, don’t buy a car with an emissions warning. Not just because you will likely struggle to sell it afterwards but because it is harming the planet and another human being could suffer by your action. If that doesn’t matter to you, you won’t be reading my blog.

2) If you own a car with an emissions warning you might want to sell it/trade it in for a newer car sooner rather than later. It doesn’t solve anything but it becomes someone else’s problem when values drop.

3) If you own a Dieselgate (DG) car that’s either been fixed or awaiting its fix – be sure to document the outcome*. You will likely have to have this ‘fix’ done because VW is threatening to de-register any car that isn’t fixed within a given period. Please see Honest John’s comment in the above image – we read of many cars suffering this ‘limp mode’ experience which could be scary on the likes of motorways, for example.

*Despite VW’s efforts to be (seen as) squeaky clean here, there may come a time when motorists are required to prove any detriment to claim fair compensation.

4) Finally if you are considering buying a car with either warning, I suggest you think again. There are other cars in your category that are as good and that don’t come with a health or fraud warning. Unless of course you’re considering buying a car that isn’t in the latest Which? Car Guide? In which case PLEASE do your homework thoroughly to find out why it isn’t a best buy and whether you’d do better buying one that is.

Club members can ask us for advice of course. Here’s where to join us.

FOXY

green motoring

Fiddled emissions whilst VW burns

VW 15921The VW share price is plummeting. Credibility of the many VW brands is affected. Perhaps their F1 ambitions have just gone up in smoke?

“We screwed up”, “we’ve been dishonest” and “we’re truly sorry” says their US CEO Michael Horn. But is that good enough?

Clearly the emissions scandal will run and run with lots of new whistleblowers adding to industry flames. VW Group testing software in the US appears to have been tinkered with resulting in certain diesel engines appearing to run cleaner than they really do – when tested by agencies appointed by manufacturers that is.

I’m relieved to read the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) saying this couldn’t happen in the UK because of the EU’s independent testing regime. Let’s hope they’re right.

VW BoardInterestingly the main VW Board is all male. And what has the likes of McKinsey been telling us for years? That women matter because we bring ethical values, a collaborative approach and environmental awareness to Board room decisions. In short, where gender balance exists organisations are healthier from the point of view of finance and efficiency. This isn’t rocket science guys but it’s clear you weren’t listening to the gender message when you should have been.

It looks to me that the VW Board could do with female Executive Board Directors to teach them business values and ethics. They were too busy studying the wrong metrics – now see how this negligence affects their beloved balance sheet…
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But an equally worrying issue is surely, if the likes of main Board Directors at VW can be THIS unethical, no wonder the global motor industry suffers the image it does. Because it seems to be TRUE of the very top?

Will any of those male Directors held to account be replaced by women?

Let’s hope so but I’m not holding my breath…

Finally let’s hope this is a scandal purely involving the VW Group… but let’s not forget the potential reach – their prestigious brands include VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche.

How could this happen in such a family, unless high level individuals knew and condoned this… That’s shocking.

FOXY

@FOXYSteph

car dealerships

Double award winning female friendly Holders of Congresbury, SEAT dealership

holders_winners“Two is always better than one…” explained lucky Rex Jeffrey, Holders of Congresbury’s Managing Director, after hearing that the FOXY Lady Approved business had TWO not just ONE National Winners on the team.

Back in February SEAT UK announced a list of 25 finalists as they set out to identify the ‘Best of the Best’ in their National Dealer Network of 115 SEAT Dealerships across Great Britain.

Holders Service Manager Anthony Harris and Service Advisor Diane Gibbens made the grade as finalists and were then invited by SEAT to attend a day of tough tasks at the VW Group National Learning Centre in Milton Keynes.

Despite strong competition from around the country Anthony and Diane held their nerve and went on to demonstrate to the judges the integral principles of customer service that form the very DNA of Holders of Congresbury.

Anthony and Diane Get Gold

Both took Gold in their respective categories and at a Gala Dinner celebration they were presented with commemorative plaques detailing their achievements.

Diane and Anthony will now go on to represent the United Kingdom in the International Finals held in Barcelona, the home of SEAT Cars and the factory where most of them are made. They will be pitched against the very best in the world for Customer Service within the Volkswagen Group franchise, and as the best in the UK, they will be sure to give their all…

Anthony said “Having participated and won in this competition before, I thought I knew what to expect but this year’s standards were higher and the challenges tougher then ever!”

One of FOXY’s Female Business Ambassadors for Holders, Diane added, “I had been warned by my twin sister Jenny who had made the final back in 2013 what to expect! I am thrilled to have won this prestigious award and am confident this is down to my thorough preparation and because Customer Service at Holders is a very genuine daily focus for me.”

Mr Jeffrey commented “We are very proud of our winners, they are vital links within a strong chain of people who work exceedingly hard to maintain and improve Holders’ commitment to customer care. Recognition at this level from a company the size of the VW Group certainly puts Holders of Congresbury, and our worthy award winning team members, on the international map for all the right reasons!”

Good luck for Barcelona Anthony and Diane – we’d love to see you both pull off the global SEAT Awards in your respective categories.

FOXY