German Prosecutors Look Into Porsche, Bosch Over Diesel Emissions

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

While the United States concluded its investigation into Volkswagen Group’s diesel emissions scandal months ago, the wheels of justice turn appear to turn more slowly in Germany.

Prosecutors in Stuttgart have launched a preliminary investigation into employees at Porsche to assess whether they were involved in designing any of the company’s emissions-cheating software. Porsche is the latest addition in a governmental probe against Volkswagen Group. German prosecutors have already launched a formal investigation against the core brand and Audi.

Prosecutor Jan Holzner explained on Thursday, however, that the Porsche inquiry was not yet a formal investigation. The same could not be said of managers at Bosch, who Holzner believes may have had a role in aiding and abetting Volkwagen’s emissions fraud.

“We are investigating three employees. All three are managers, with the highest ranking being in middle management,” Holzner told Reuters.

Bosch participated in the development of the EDC17 engine control unit in Volkswagen’s EA189 diesel engines that are at the center of the emissions debacle. German prosecutors believe at least three managers may have conspired with the automaker. Prosecutors are considering expanding the investigation to other employees.

Bosch stated that it is taking any allegations of engine manipulation “very seriously” and will be cooperating with authorities. However, due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, Bosch declined to comment further.

Porsche had no comment.

[Image: Porsche]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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 4 comments
  • Stingray65 Stingray65 on Jun 29, 2017

    I was wondering when they would go after Bosch. Even if Bosch did not design the VW cheat code, they had to know about it as the supplier of the diesel hardware. In fact everyone in the industry had to know VW was cheating, because everyone else would also want to figure out how VW was meeting strict emission standards without the expensive urea injection systems that everyone else was using.

    • See 1 previous
    • Bumpy ii Bumpy ii on Jun 30, 2017

      @stuki Varying fuel and emission maps isn't necessarily illegal, but such things do have to be fully documented in the certification forms, and they do have to be approved by the EPA. VW had no intention of doing either, which is what got them in trouble.

  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Jun 29, 2017

    Nah, it was just that guy in the software bowels of VW. Nothing to see here!

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