Volkswagen was recently found to have cheated on gas emissions tests for its diesel cars, installing software designed to register lower emissions than in reality. The Environmental Protection Agency has begun its crackdown, joining regulators in Europe and South America in testing Volkswagen cars in real-world driving conditions.
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The interim chairman of the supervisor board of Volkswagen AG, Berthold Huber, in a statement called Mueller “a person of great strategic, entrepreneurial and social competence”.
The EPA also will test diesel vehicles produced by other automakers.
Separately, a group of at least 27 U.S. state attorneys general launched a multi-state investigation of Volkswagen‘s representations to consumers about its diesel vehicles, and said it will send subpoenas to the automaker.
“Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry”.
Mueller, a Volkswagen veteran who now runs the company’s Porsche brand, will ascend to the automaker’s top spot while other executives will continue to be fired, sources close to the matter told Bloomberg Business.
“There’s also discussion now about 1.2-litre cars being affected”, Dobrindt said in a speech to parliament in Berlin on Friday. It has said about 11 million cars worldwide have the software. “We take seriously our responsibility to oversee the enforcement of clean air regulations”. The software turns on all of the vehicle’s air-pollution controls only when it senses that an emissions test is under way.
News that European Union officials had noticed emission discrepancies between on-road and testing situations was first reported on Saturday by the Financial Times, which said little was done to address the issue after it was discovered in 2013.
Fallout from Volkswagen’s admitted trickery now includes possible criminal probes, class-action lawsuits and potentially massive fines.
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Analysts hope that on Friday it may at last say which models and construction years are affected, and whether cars will need to be refitted.
