COVID-19

In response to ongoing economic conditions, VW expands payment options for new customers

Volkswagen is expanding their payment relief program for customers.

Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

Volkswagen of America and Volkswagen Credit are expanding their Community-Drive Promise to include new payment assistance for eligible customers. The news comes as jobless claims skyrocket in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Qualified customers who purchase a new vehicle then lose their job due to economic reasons, are eligible for up to six months of payments to be waived, up to $750 per month.

"This global pandemic and the economic uncertainty that came with it has many of us facing difficult choices and we don't want purchasing a new vehicle to be one of them," said Scott Keogh, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. "We want our customers to know that if the unexpected happens, we're here to help."

2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportThe new 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport starts at $30,545.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

Additional criteria must be met including that the model must be financed through Volkswagen Credit.

Fine print shares that the offer is not valid in New York and that customers must be receiving unemployment benefits, and the unemployment must occur for economic reasons after the first 90-days of ownership. Customers must also have been employed on a full-time basis at least 12 consecutive weeks prior to the unemployment. The benefit expires 12 months from date of purchase. Other conditions and limitations apply.

Also as part of the Community-Driven Promise announced April 3, Volkswagen is giving highly qualified new buyers the option of delaying their first payment for up to 180 days and is offering zero-percent APR financing for up to 72 months for most new vehicles. The program is set to run through April 30.

Previously, Volkswagen announced that it has funded a new U.S. Dealer Response Team to aid communities in need

Trending News

 
 

Subcompact SUV

Honda details all-new 2023 HR-V

The Honda HR-V is all-new for 2023.

Honda

The HR-V is Honda's smallest and most affordable SUV, slotting into the automaker's catalog beneath the long-running CR-V. The entry-level HR-V got a complete overhaul for 2023 that brought a new powertrain, updated technology, and refined styling that aligns closely with the new Civic Sedan.

2023 Honda HR-VThe new SUV features more refined, upscale styling, better tech, and new safety features.Honda

Honda offers the HR-V in three trims: LX, Sport, and EX-L. While the 2022 HR-V got a 1.8-liter four-cylinder, the 2023 model gets a larger 2.0-liter engine that produces 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. It's mated to a continuously variable transmission and either front- or all-wheel drive. The new SUV comes with hill descent control for the first time in a Honda, and three drive modes are included.

Inside, a 7-inch touchscreen comes standard that runs Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A larger 9-inch screen comes in the top EX-L trim that adds wireless smartphone connectivity. The EX-L trims also gets wireless charging and navigation. Both touchscreens come with a physical volume knob for easier interactions with the system. All models are wider and longer than before, which improves interior passenger and cargo space.

All 2023 HR-Vs come with Honda Sensing safety equipment. The package has been updated for 2023 with a traffic jam assist feature and traffic sign recognition. Honda offers blind spot monitoring for the first time in an HR-V, and a driver attention monitoring system comes standard.

2023 Honda HR-VThe HR-V picked up sleek styling for the new model year with hints of Honda Civic sprinkled in.Honda

The new HR-V starts at $24,895, including a $1,245 destination charge. The range-topping EX-L all-wheel drive model starts at $30,195. Honda says the new SUV will go on sale soon.

Trending News

 
 

VW purchased the rights to the iconic Scout name and plans to make new EVs under the brand.

Volkswagen

Automakers bring back names and brands from the past all the time, but it's not every day that a major company purchases a brand name specifically for the purpose of reviving it. That's exactly what Volkswagen just did with Scout, the name of an ultra-popular off-road SUV that was built by International Harvester in the 1960s and 1970s.

As for the types of vehicles we'll see from the brand, we currently only have the renders to go on. The pickup truck and SUV both feature throwback styling that is reminiscent of the original Scout shapes. Beefy off-road tires and lifted suspension are the only other clues available in the drawings.

Volkswagen has its own EVs, and its other brands like Audi and Porsche have made significant progress with electric vehicles as well. That said, VW doesn't really have a solid off-road option from any of its brands at the moment, so the Scout purchase opens doors for the automaker in that arena.

The announcement sounds exciting, but we've still got plenty of time to wait before there's a Scout-branded EV on the roads. Volkswagen said the plan is to release vehicles by 2026, but it won't be sitting idle between now and then. The VW ID.4 is still very fresh and the automaker says it will launch a total of 25 new EVs in the U.S. by 2030.

Trending News