Girard Gibbs LLP has filed a class action lawsuit against Volkswagen, alleging that the German automaker intentionally installed software on diesel vehicles created to cheat emissions tests. There are fewer than 500,000 of the affected VW and Audi diesel cars on USA roads, out of more than 11 million worldwide.
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The California Air Resources Board is also investigating Volkswagen’s violations of emissions standards. “And in my German words, we have totally screwed up”.
Diesel cars are very popular in Europe, where they account for almost half of cars on the road.
Jensen stated that “It’s not a product related issue, it’s a poor decision mad”.
Volkswagen dealers in Utah say they are deeply concerned about the vehicles impact on Utah’s air quality.
Volkswagen New Zealand’s General Manager Tom Ruddenklau says he’s disappointed with the company’s deception.
“The RSA notes the recent disclosure by Volkswagen in relation to its testing of vehicle emissions to the appropriate American standards“.
“They literally ran out of excuses”, Young said, describing the meeting in which the vehicle manufacturer “admitted there was a defeat device”.
The company has admitted that millions of its diesel Golfs, Passats, Jettas and Beetles sold between 2009 and 2015 were rigged with software to cheat emissions tests.
“Millions of people across the world trust our brands, our cars and our technologies”, said Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn in a video posted on the company’s website.
VW has said it was setting aside US$7.3 billion in provisions for the third quarter to cover the potential costs of the fallout.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust a company that went out of their way to lie”, Levin said.
The investigation has gone global with Germany, France and Britain calling for probes.
Following a disastrous 19 per cent drop in its share price on Monday, shares at VW were down a further 20 per cent today. The software turned on the cars’ full emissions control systems when the cars were being tested by the government, and then turned off those systems during normal driving.
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The Justice Department is also opening a criminal inquiry into Volkswagen – the EPA already has its own investigation – and the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee plans on holding a hearing on this matter.
