---
title: "Weekly Wire for July 1, 2016: VW Diesel Payout, the New Porsche Panamera, and Austin’s Uber/Drinking Problem"
description: "A tough week in Wolfsburg turned out pretty darn well for certain VW diesel owners."
date: "2016-07-01"
modified: "2016-07-01"
authors:
  - name: "The Drive Staff"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/the-drive-staff"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/4250/weekly-wire-for-july-1-2016-vw-diesel-payout-the-new-porsche-panamera-and-austins-uber-drinking-problem"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Austin"
  - "Panamera"
  - "porsche"
  - "sedan"
  - "Uber"
---

# Weekly Wire for July 1, 2016: VW Diesel Payout, the New Porsche Panamera, and Austin’s Uber/Drinking Problem

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/070116-drivewire-weekly-wire-tn_0.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

This week, Volkswagen announced a proposed settlement to pay out $14.7 billion to owners of some diesel VW and Audi cars with 2.0-liter TDI engines. The money goes mostly to fund very generous cash payouts to car owners, as well as reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions and develop zero-emissions vehicles. Meanwhile, Porsche fans have been given the gift of a sleek new Panamera, and the city of Austin has succumbed to drinking and a dubious taxi free-for-all in the wake of Uber and Lyft's departure.

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