I Bet You Weren’t Expecting New Dieselgate News Nearly 10 Years Later

The further we get from the date the news broke at the end of the summer of 2015, the more Dieselgate seems like a pivotal turning point in the history of the automobile. Nevermind Europe pivoting away from diesel virtually overnight, the following onslaught of electrification efforts and the legal fallout of emissions tampering at the manufacturer level has changed the face of the industry as we know it. However, even the scandal itself isn’t done as litigation on Dieselgate reportedly continues roughly a decade after the day that killed diesel passenger cars in America.

Meanwhile, Porsche just stated that a new combustion-powered Macan with an available electrified twist is on the way in the next three years, Aston Martin is selling its stake in the Aston Martin F1 team, and you can now smell like a Ford F-150. Why? Good question.

Welcome back to The Morning Dump, where we take the fresh ingredients of car news you should know about and blend it into a sort of vehicular vichyssoise. Matt’s on vacation this week, which means I’m sort-of taking on a sous chef role for one more day, so order up an aperitif because it’s time to dig in.

So The Fallout From Dieselgate Is Still Happening

Roughly 13 years after researchers at West Virginia University uncovered evidence of excessive nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel-powered Volkswagens, and nearly a decade after the EPA announced that Volkswagen had violated the Clean Air Act, Dieselgate still isn’t over. At this point, it’s unequivocal that Volkswagen and other automakers used defeat devices to skirt the spirit of emissions laws, but that certainly doesn’t mean that litigation is over.

The courts often move like tectonic plates, and while environmental fines have been levied and executives have been jailed, civil cases around Dieselgate are still ongoing. That’s where this latest bit of news comes from, with Reuters reporting that European Justices find automakers like Volkswagen still liable for their diesel emissions tampering actions.

The European Court of Justice on Friday ruled that carmakers like Volkswagen (VOWG.DE), remain liable for using unlawful defeat devices, such as temperature-sensitive emissions software, even if the vehicles met EU standards, which doesn’t guarantee the technology’s legality.

The case at the European Union’s top court arose from two German lawsuits involving Volkswagen diesel vehicles fitted with defeat devices, either during production or through later software updates. The Court said compensation to buyers can be reduced based on vehicle use or capped at 15% of the purchase price, but it must still adequately reflect the damage caused.

So what does this mean? Well, what we’re looking at here is precedent for civil litigation. Some owners are still seeking compensation from Volkswagen due to alleged defeat devices on their vehicles, and in this case, Volkswagen drew up a defending argument that seems fairly flimsy. As Marketscreener reports:

Volkswagen has suffered another defeat in its battle against compensation claims from diesel buyers. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has now ruled that the Wolfsburg-based company cannot invoke a so-called error of law regarding the use of defeat devices for exhaust gas purification. This is the case when someone does not know or incorrectly assesses that their behavior is prohibited and therefore illegal.

[…]

In the proceedings, VW argued that it had assumed that the defeat device was permissible and that it would have been approved by the Federal Motor Transport Authority if requested.

The ECJ has now ruled that a car manufacturer cannot be exempted from liability for an illegal defeat device simply because the vehicle type or the device itself has been approved by the competent national authority.

Considering the environmental damage caused by tampering with emissions on such a wide scale, I get why authorities are continuing to hold automakers liable. While this may seem like the longest-running automotive scandal in history, it’s a different beast from the Ford Explorer’s Firestone tire scandal or the Toyota floor mat scandal. Those were safety defects; systemic emissions cheating is something more insidious. The bottom line? Expect to keep hearing about Dieselgate for years to come.

Get Ready For A New Combustion-Powered Macan

The beauty of Porsche’s branding is that it’s often looked at as a sports car company, but is really now an SUV company that’s known for its sports cars. Sure, cars like the 911, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman are the ones everyone wants in their garage, but haulers like the Cayenne and Macan are what keep a steady stream of revenue flowing through even the bad times. Sports cars are frivolous in the same way champagne is, but luxury SUVs? Even the upper-middle-class doesn’t stop shopping at Whole Foods if the economy takes a downturn. However, the current combustion-powered Macan has been phased out in Europe thanks to GSR2 legislation and not everyone wants to go electric, so the engineers in Stuttgart are readying another new Macan. The marque had an earnings call on Wednesday, and Automotive News was listening in on what CEO Oliver Blume was saying to relay this tidbit of information:

“We won’t be later than 2028 with the B-SUV ICE and hybrid version,” he said of the vehicle. The vehicle will be rolled out to all markets but Blume didn’t say when the U.S. launch will occur.

Given that Porsche classifies the electric Macan as a B-SUV, it sure seems like we’ll be looking at a brand new combustion-powered Macan at some point in the next three years, with an electrified twist. While there’s no word on whether the hybrid model will be a plug-in or not, a plug-in does make sense assuming a seven-year model cycle from 2028 to 2035, as several key markets have legislation prioritizing plug-ins. For example, Canada’s EV mandate allows for long-range plug-in hybrids to qualify under near-term electrification quotas, and various European countries have tax advantages for plug-in hybrids. In any case, don’t be surprised if the next gasoline-powered Macan will run on the same Premium Platform Combustion, um, platform found underneath the new Audi Q5.

Aston Martin Is Selling Its F1 Team

Despite what feels like the strongest product lineup in years, Aston Martin isn’t having the best time right now. Thanks in part to a combination of a decline in volume of high-margin Specials models, a slump in wholesale volumes of most core models outside of Britain, and tariff-related impacts, its operating loss for the first half of 2025 widened to £134.7 million from £106.1 million for the first half of 2024. That’s not a great position to be in as a publicly traded company, so as for ways to raise cash relatively quickly, how about selling its stake in its Formula 1 team? As Bloomberg reports:

Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc, the listed carmaker, has agreed to sell its minority stake in the racing team for £110 million, it said Wednesday. A binding letter of intent has been signed with a buyer at a £2.4 billion valuation, Chief Executive Officer Adrian Hallmark said in an interview. He declined to name the buyer, saying the deal had yet to complete.

So what’s going to change if this sale happens? Other than a needed cash injection for Aston Martin Lagonda, likely not much. Even if Aston Martin, the carmaker, cashes out, majority control of the F1 team would still be held by Aston Martin CEO Lawrence Stroll through his firm Yew Tree Investments. What’s more, Planet F1 reports that “While the auto maker is set to step away as a minority owner, it will maintain a commercial relationship through a long-term branding agreement.” In short, if the reported stake sale goes through, expect to see Lance Stroll on the grid in an Aston Martin come 2026.

You Can Now Smell Like An F-150

Gendered toiletries will never cease to be amusing. Walk into your local pharmacy and take a gander at the scents of products aimed at women. They’ll all smell like things humans actually want to smell, like lavender and vanilla and hibiscus. Meanwhile, products aimed at men have ridiculous scents like Batman and brick and, um, Ford F-150. Yeah, so Ford has collaborated again with man soap brand Dr. Squatch on some new soaps, and it really feels like branded merchandise is plumbing new depths here.

Unsurprisingly the new soaps aren’t named after, say, the Escape and Mustang Mach-E. Instead, they’re called the Bronco Bricc and the F-150 Tough Scrub, one of which is brown and the other of which is blue. Alright, there’s a little more to it than just the color. The Bronco soap seems like a traditional scent package of cedar and pine, but the F-150 Tough Scrub is where things get interesting. It’s been given scents of leather and driftwood, which theoretically means it could make you smell like a King Ranch even if Dr. Squatch doesn’t explicitly state any similarities to the scent of a high-spec half-ton. Unsurprisingly, there’s also a contest running with this collaboration. Buy the soap, get an entry to potentially win an F-150. I suppose it beats arriving to a Bumble date wearing Hummer aftershave or Nissan 350Z cologne.

What I’m Listening To While Writing The Morning Dump

Since Matt returns to Morning Dump duties next week, I figure this is the last chance I have for the foreseeable future to share something a bit out-there from my mix. As far as recent artists with blue links on their Wikipedia page’s family section go, 2Hollis is one of the most artistically interesting in the game right now. The son of the drummer from Tortoise and Owsla cofounder Kathryn Frazier, he’s delivering a unique blend of electroclash and experimental hip-hop starring his own tight production. This one’s called “you once said my name for the first time“.

The Big Question:

What’s your take on the legacy of Dieselgate?

Top graphic image: Volkswagen