German Diesel Probe Goes Deep With Porsche
The investigative parade continues in Germany. Prosecutors investigating Volkswagen Group’s diesel-emissions scandal have now turned their attention to Porsche. Roughly 10 facilities owned by the automaker in Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg were searched by around 160 investigators.
Stuttgart-based prosecutors claimed to be interested in three specific individuals suspected of fraud and fraudulent advertising as it relates to the manipulated emissions-control systems of diesel passenger cars. The office clarified that Porsche CEO Oliver Blume was not among them, however.
“The three suspects include a member of the management board and a member of Porsche AG’s higher management. The third suspect is no longer employed at Porsche AG,” it explained in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday.
While the probes into VW Group have been relentless, it’s unclear what good they are doing. After being subjected to earlier searches Audi was investigated again in 2018 for its potential contribution to the emission scandal. The automaker had developed the 3.0-liter used on some 80,000 VW, Audi, and Porsche models equipped with illegal software intended to fool emissions testing equipment.
Stuttgart prosecutors and a spokesman from the company noted that two Audi were also searched on Wednesday. The raids took place in facilities at Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, according to the carmaker.
We’re sure this won’t be the last probe into Volkswagen Group. German officials have been conducting raids sporadically since 2016 and Volkswagen Group seems to get hit every couple of months. Meanwhile, prosecutors have launched a similar investigations in the general direction of BMW after it recalled 11,700 cars to fix engine management software it said was programmed incorrectly. Officials are worried those may have been outfitted with defeat devices.
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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If I worked for VW group and had been involved with anything illegal, I would have gotten rid of any and all of anything that even looked illegal. So don't you think anyone who may have done illegal things would do the same?
Considering that Porsche don't design and manufacture diesels but buy them from the VW/Audi group, you have to wonder what the police expect to discover. Have they sent a delegation to Skoda in the Czech Republic to interrogate them on using VW diesels yet? How about Seat in Barcelona? The mind of Sgt Plod worldwide is an unimagimative one it seems.