Hallway radio abuzz about new VW scam in Touareg: 7 gears for the price of 8

Higher gear, lower emissions,. allgedly

Higher gear, lower emissions, allegedly

Volkswagen’s hallway radio is humming with talk about a possible new cheat: Volkswagen sells 8 speed transmissions, but the on-board computer allows use of only 7 speeds. “Am hearing that the 8 speed automatic of the Touareg uses software that is programmed for 7 speeds only,” a Volkswagen manager tells the Dailykanban.

According to Volkswagen, the new 8 gear transmission of the Touareg has been engineered “to lower fuel consumption and emissions,” with the “7th and 8th gear designed as a thrifty overdrive.” The 8th gear is said to lower RPMs by 34 percent compared with the 6th gear. However, if the hallway radio is right, and if that 8th gear is never used, the lower emissions will be pure propaganda.

According to the source, the get-seven-for-the-price-of eight software may not be limited to the Touareg. Managers at Volkswagen are said to be alarmed, because Germany’s hard-charging Autobild is researching the story. The hallway radio already speculates that Autobild’s headline could be “Volkswagen’s scam 2.0.”

So far, nothing  in the German media, but if & when you read it, remember, you read it here first.

Standard disclaimer: Hallway radio reports reflect the current buzz of Volkswagen’s internal rumor mill, and as such the reports are not always correct. No responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information. However, the radio has a very high batting average, so far, at least.

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