The German automaker’s Supervisory Board is meeting following former CEO Martin Winterkorn’s decision to resign earlier this week in the wake of the scandal, whose effects continue to reverberate around the world. Germany’s transport ministry has denied the Green Party’s claims.
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Regulators in Europe and Asia have said they will also investigate, while Volkswagen faces criminal inquiries and lawsuits from cheated customers. Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.
All of these changes at the top of the corporate ladder are a effect of the so-called “dieselgate” involving a special device installed on the Type EA 189 2.0-liter turbodiesel engines to manipulate emissions tests.
Klaus Mueller, head of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, said: “To regain confidence, Volkswagen needs to indemnify any consumers affected by damage”.
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.
VW’s executive board said yesterday it expected “further personnel consequences in the next days”, and that “all participants in these proceedings that has resulted in unmeasurable harm for Volkswagen, will be subject to the full consequences”.
Jim Holder from the What vehicle website said the scandal should not entirely onscure that VW has been making huge and genuine progress with its diesel engines in recent years. Italy will test 1,000 cars from all the VW brands sold nationally, its transport minister said.
A “defeat device” in the vehicles made it so they would pass emissions tests.
Winterkorn resigned on Wednesday after VW admitted to rigging 11mln cars with sophisticated software to make it look like the vehicles complied with emissions standards.
Mr Winterkorn announced he was stepping down but was not aware of “any wrongdoing on my part”.
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The EPA revealed that VW has been violating the Clean Air Act and could be subject to fines of as much as $18 billion.
