(Photo: AP)
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Volkswagen exhaust scandal always also affects , What many suspected, confirmed now: Europe is affected too. While brewing a storm suit in the US, and the Porsche and the Audi Board must go.
The exhaust affair at Volkswagen assumes global proportions. Following the resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn and initial discussions of the commission of the Federal Ministry of Transport with the Wolfsburg on Wednesday announced Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) that also in Europe have diesel engines VW-engineered exhaust emissions. According to media reports rolls on VW in the US and Canada a flood of class action lawsuits. Meanwhile, it was announced that the Audi board member Ulrich Hackenberg and Porsche Executive Board Wolfgang Hatz vacate their posts.
The exhaust gas scandal at Volkswagen
VW has admitted that most eleven million motors are equipped with software to measure the pollution starting at manipulate. Trigger of the scandal, the VW CEO Martin Winterkorn cost the job, were investigations by the US Environmental Protection Agency
.
BMW and Daimler with white vest
Volkswagen had already acknowledged that it most “discrepancies” give a total of around 11 million diesel vehicles. A detailed and complete list of affected models do not yet exist, however. The rivals BMW and Daimler confirmed to have a clean slate. “Basically: The BMW Group is not tampered with,” said the Munich-based manufacturer. A Daimler spokesman stressed there were no manipulations have been carried out on the vehicles of the group.
Dobrindt said on Thursday in Berlin, it stands so far not determined to make it go exactly how many cars of the VW Group , VW is struggling after the resignation of Winterkorn now to limit the damage and refocus.
“corporate culture must be overhauled radically”
council boss Bernd Osterloh calls as a consequence of the scandal a fundamental overhaul of the corporate culture. “We need for the future climate are not hidden in the problems, but openly communicates to supervisors. We need a culture in which one can argue with his superiors about the best way and should,” he says in a letter to the VW employees, which was present to the dpa. As VW boss come only “a personality with great technical and business expertise and at the same time of great social competence” question. On Friday, the Supervisory Board will discuss a successor.
The scandal brought an entire industry into the twilight. The engines were equipped with a software that manipulated the measurement of the emissions of nitrogen oxides. It is clear that even four rows of subsidiary Audi are affected: The engine type EA 189 was installed in models of the A1, A3, A4 and A6, said an Audi spokesperson
The exact years of construction and. but the number of vehicles could not be called. Whether the cars are affected by software manipulation, Audi could not say likewise. Even the VW group itself prepares under high pressure a list of companies included in the exhaust affair diesel cars in front.
40 lawsuits against VW
According to media reports comes to VW in the US and Canada a wave of class action lawsuits. Around 40 such lawsuits have now been filed there for information of the NDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung in the courts. Applicants are therefore mainly private car buyers, in one case, a car dealer. VW were reproached for fraud, breach of contract and other violations of the law, it said. The company had been “no knowledge of when, where, how that action is pending,” a company spokesman said on Thursday.
In the US, Volkswagen threatens a penalty of up to 18 billion dollars by the US Environmental Protection Agency EPA. The Justice Department in Washington to determine because of possible criminal offenses.
criminal charges in Germany
In Germany, Volkswagen accepts the judiciary targeted. The public prosecutor criminal charges were submitted, the Authority launched a preliminary investigation. Even Volkswagen itself reimbursed display. Who knew of the manipulation when the Group, but it is still unclear. Internal investigations are taking place.
Lower Saxony Economics Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) counted in the VW-exhaust-affair with “other personal consequences” in the next few days. “We also demand the consequences,” Lies, who is a member of the VW board said on Thursday in Bayerischer Rundfunk. “It’s about the entire structure at Volkswagen.”
reputation of German products in danger
Economists also fear for the reputation of German export products. “We see how the financial crisis that an incident has attained systemic crisis quality,” says the director of the Institute of the German Economy (IW), Michael Huether, the Handelsblatt .
The question is asked whether other manufacturers could have also tricked in the flue gas measurement. BMW, Daimler and Opel stressed to have complied with all legal requirements. The Greens call for a review of Dobrindt also other carmakers. ( with the material dpa ) / (anw)
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