Volkswagen Raided Again Over Diesel Emissions Scandal
German prosecutors raided Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg headquarters on Tuesday, continuing their prolonged quest to bust the automaker over a diesel emission scandal that has been more or less settled in the United States since 2017.
Germany must want to do an incredibly thorough job of investigating the automaker — it’s difficult to imagine raiding the same offices over and over being all that fun, especially after VW formally confessed its malfeasance in other parts of the world. However, according to Reuters, prosecutors might be looking for something different this time around. Volkswagen has said it is still cooperating with authorities, but described its latest surprise encounter with them as unfounded.
From Reuters:
Volkswagen said the raids were linked to an investigation into diesel cars with engine type EA 288, a successor model to the EA 189 which was at the heart of the test cheating scandal.
The carmaker said it had itself disclosed the issue at the center of the new investigation — which is targeting individual employees — to the relevant registration authorities.
In simulations, vehicles with the EA 288 engine did not indicate a failure of the diesel filter, while still complying with emissions limits, Volkswagen said, adding the engine did not have an illegal defeat device.
Considering the scope of the company’s diesel-related screw-up, we don’t want to give them the benefit of the doubt. VW’s story changes all the time depending on which country you’re in. The automaker recently told a British courtroom overseeing a civil suit that the defeat device designed to fool regulators — installed in millions of vehicles — was actually software intended to update cars to be compliant with EU emission laws, not to breach testing protocols.
But Germany has really been dragging its feet on this. Many have criticized the country for being soft on the automaker, though the real issue seems to be how slowly it’s moving. Action is still being taken, just at a snail’s pace. German prosecutors have been eyeballing (and raiding) high-ranking executives that fled the company after the company was exposed for ages — charging some with acts that could require some real jail time.
Former VW head Martin Winterkorn was charged with fraud in April, an accusation that could end in a ten-year sentence if he’s convicted. Still, he’s far from the only VW Group staffer under the microscope of justice; the latest raid saw prosecutors leaving with more corporate documents that could serve as ammunition in the courtroom.
[Image: U.J. Alexander/Shutterstock]
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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The EA288 was the new diesel just introduced into the US for the 2015 model year. My memory, which may be faulty, recalls that few of these were actually sold in the US and sat at dockside awaiting late EPA approval even before the big scandal began in September that year. But they were found to be fiddled with as well. The series were being sold in Europe though for some time. VW can't keep its story straight between countries, as you say. Must be some nefarious advantage to it for VW because the EU is governed by one type approval standard, so why they should hand out different excuses in different countries in that Union is beyond my ken. If it's been found to be bad in one place, it's bad everywhere. Remember the $1.29 intake airflow straightener that cured all ills that Europeans were offered as the cure for all ills just after the begining of the scandal? Well, that was a piece of arcane BS if there ever was one, I must say. What an outfit.
Angela Merkel said that Germany must oppose strong speech or they will lose their free society. Either she doesn't know what words mean, or she is a typical Marxist lying to end freedom. If you want to force everyone into trying to replace the cars of 2019 with the cars of 1905, you're going to have to break a few eggs.