“I don’t know that whether him (Winterkorn) stepping down or not is going to be material to the issue”.
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Last Friday, the US Environmental Protection Agency said VW cars had much higher emissions than tests had suggested and that software in the cars could be used to deceive regulators.
But he also insisted: “I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part”.
European Union regulators say they are in contact with Volkswagen and the U.S. authorities as the ramifications continue to widen, while the French and German governments have also announced separate enquiries. I am clearing the way for the fresh start with my resignation. Volkswagen has been, is and will always be my life.
Update: In a statement to Ars, a Volkswagen spokesperson said Winterkorn’s successor has not been decided yet. It is and remains the top priority of the board of management to win back lost trust and to avert damage to our customers.
Winterkorn could also face scrutiny from Volkswagen’s board, which meets on Friday, and investors, who watched the company’s shares plunge 17.1 per cent on Monday to a three-year low.
German automaker Volkswagen admitted Tuesday that suspected manipulation of emissions tests by a company software concerned some 11 million vehicles sold worldwide. The company owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda and Volkswagen brands.
Volkswagen said on Tuesday it was setting aside €6.5 billion ($7.3 billion) to help cover the costs of the crisis, though analysts doubt that will be enough.
Fixing the cars to comply with EPA regulations may make them use up fuel more quickly or give their engines shorter lifespans, making it less likely that US consumers will be compelled to buy them – although all of the bad press from the past few days may have condemned Volkswagen sales to suffer in the USA for the next few months anyway.
The carmaker’s statement was its first admission that diesel cars outside the United States may contain the software that led the Environmental Protection Agency to accuse the company of deliberately evading pollution tests.
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It turns them on only when it detects that the vehicle is undergoing an emissions test. Volkswagen advertised the affected models as being better for the environment. Britain and France have called for a Europe-wide investigation, and Italy has requested information on the issue.
