Volkswagen group chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said on Thursday that a “chain of errors” led to the emissions scandal and that the entire company was now focused on regaining the trust of customers. They developed software that adjusted engine performance to pass emissions tests, but in actual driving, the cars were highly polluting. Cooperation with those authorities was described as “excellent”.
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The VW brand delivered 6.12 million cars in total past year.
The company’s new disclosures, along with interviews with industry experts and some former executives, help connect some pieces of a sequence of decisions and events that played out over 10 years.
The company initially said that issues with carbon dioxide emissions could cost it another 2 billion euro on top of the costs incurred in the scandal over the nitrogen oxide emissions-cheating.
“It will be important to maintain that level of exchange with the public in coming months to prove they’re serious about transparency”.
Chief Executive Matthias Müller said: “We are shouldering what is a very considerable challenge for the group”. The automaker has estimated the scandal would cost 6.7 billion euros, though analysts expect that figure to ultimately be much higher. Fraud was committed. So, firing employees and paying fines aren’t enough.
Mr Geisker said although some apology letters had been circulated to motorists, not one cent of compensation was yet been offered to any Australian customer since the dieselgate scandal was uncovered in early September.
Mueller also said he wanted to change the company’s culture so there was better communication among employees and more willingness to discuss problems. “I will look ahead optimistically and confidently”.
Mr. Pötsch is quick to make amends by saying “No business transaction justifies overstepping legal and ethical bounds, ” but that’s exactly what VW did.
Rival law firm Bannister Law has also begun action against VW.
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He said VW would not name any individuals involved on Thursday but it was likely only a small number of people took part in the deception. That’s a view that critics say overlooks the role of a rigid management culture at VW under its former CEO Martin Winterkorn and board chair Ferdinand Peich. Consequently, the VW cars equipped with the “defeat device” are fully compliant with the emissions standards when being assessed in a laboratory or testing station – this is when the engine is working in the test mode. Namesake brand sales are going to impact deliveries for the entire year.
