Diesel Car & Light Truck News

[kscarbel2]

Volkswagen of America (VWoA), the car unit, hasn't fired on all eight cylinders.............ever.

That said, Volkswagen Truck & Bus led by ex-Daimler truck head Andreas Renschler is an entirely different situation. To get him to leave Daimler Truck, no easy task, VW offered him a significant amount of autonomy. He's a truck guy, and that bodes very well for Navistar, in their cooperation.

[kscarbel2]

VW's Winterkorn Directly Involved, Damning Dieselgate Revelations Say

Forbes  /  January 15, 2017

If you are looking for written proof for the involvement of Volkswagen’s former CEO Martin Winterkorn in the dieselgate coverup, look no further than this morning’s edition of Germany’s BILD Zeitung.

Two months before the scandal became public, Volkswagen planned a highly selective disclosure strategy, the paper says in its Sunday edition.

The usually well-informed newspaper cites and shows PowerPoints from a presentation chaired by Martin Winterkorn himself.

The revelation could put arrested Volkswagen manager Oliver Schmidt in U.S. jail for many years, and it could cost Volkswagen another $10 billion.

The documents are from a July 27, 2015 crisis meeting at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg.

This meeting gained prominence when VW manager Oliver Schmidt was arrested a week ago in Miami.

 In its complaint against Schmidt, the FBI alleges:

“On or about July 27, 2015, SCHMIDT and other VW employees presented to VW’s executive management in Wolfsburg, Germany, regarding the existence, purpose and characteristics of the defeat device,” the FBI claims, continuing that “in the presentation, VW employees assured VW executive management that U.S. regulators were not aware of the defeat device. Rather that advocate for disclosure of the defeat device to U.S. regulators, VW executive management authorized its continued concealment.”

Not exactly, says the document revealed today. The documents describe an unemotional planning session, coldly calculating the “chances” and “risks” of possible disclosure strategies vis-à-vis the U.S. regulator.

The presentation did not traipse around. “No change of raw emissions in acoustic mode” a briefing document is quoted. BILD’s translation: “The exhaust is blown out unfiltered.”

At Volkswagen, “acoustic mode” was the code word for the defeat device cheater software.

The meeting also was fully informed about the number of affected cars: “505,874 vehicles” in North America, a slide said.

The “defensive” strategy is paraphrased by BILD as “continue lying for a while.”

As its chances, the chart named an assured approval of new Volkswagen models. Its risks were “very high financial penalties.”

The “offensive” strategy was one of full disclosure. As its chances, lower penalties beckoned. Its risks were defined as long delays in the type approval of a new model generation.

Meeting participants told BILD in unison that the meeting decided on the “offensive” strategy: Full disclosure. Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess, a fresh arrival from BMW, offered his assistance in the coming clean, the report said.

However, that decision did not survive a few days.

Says BILD:

“Another manager prevailed: The now arrested Oliver Schmidt volunteered to take care of the problem. In an internal note dated July 30^th, suddenly there was not a single word about full disclosure in front of the U.S. regulator. The note says that “Professor Winterhorn” approved the following procedure: “Selective disclosure of the Gen 1 and Gen 2 issues.” Also, Schmidt was asked to clear the “wording” with a Winterkorn confidante, and a Volkswagen lawyer.”

The July 27 presentation was given by a Volkswagen engineer named by BILD only as “Thorsten D.” a treatment required for German suspects until convicted. The FBI named a Thorsten Duesterdieck in its criminal complaint against Oliver Schmidt.

BILD bases its story on interviews with meeting participants by a German prosecutor, and on its own interviews.

“We talked about something illegal installed into our cars,” one participant is cited by BILD. The July 27 meeting had been talked about before. However, Volkswagen and Winterkorn used to remember only a brief conversation where Winterkorn was supposedly told that everything was under control. In a court in Braunschweig, Volkswagen did confirm the July 27 meeting, and the participation of Winterkorn and Diess. In a court document, Volkswagen declared that “neither the content of this informal meeting nor the exact timing of the participation of the board members can be reconstructed in detail.”

Thorsten D. recalls the meeting differently. He expected to be “blown off” after the third chart, he told prosecutors. Instead, Winterkorn’s reaction to the presentation was “surprisingly calm,” the report said. “You and your software,” Winterkorn snapped later in the meeting at a Volkswagen engineer who was part of the cheater code development, said BILD.

In Germany, Volkswagen is fighting some 1400 lawsuits brought by stockholders, alleging that the company did not disclose material facts in a timely manner. Volkswagen is being sued for between $9 and $11 billion.

Along with Volkswagen’s admission of guilt as part of the recent settlement with the US DOJ, today’s revelation will not help its cause in German courts. On top of the U.S. settlement, this would total to some $30 billion, money the company could have used to build 20 new factories, or to develop 30 new model generations, mehr oder weniger.

Reports of Winterkorn’s direct involvement in the cover-up do not lift the spirits of Volkswagen managers who had to endure a staccato of dropping shoes for more than a year. They were told that it was a rogue group among theirs, all the while executives quietly sailed out of the door on golden parachutes. Many Volkswagen managers cannot take it anymore.

“This is insane,” sighed a Volkswagen exec over the phone from Wolfsburg after he read the story in this morning’s BILD am Sonntag. “With that, the positions of Diess, Müller, Stadler and Pötsch should no longer be tenable, wouldn’t you say?” the exec hoped, listing the really top brass at Volkswagen.

Only the future will have that answer. For the Wolfsburg manager, the answer can’t come soon enough: “The field needs to be freshly plowed. That daily lawn mowing is Scheisse.”

[kscarbel2]

 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

It's sad to see VW stoop to stupid SUVs. Worse yet, over half of Porsche's production is now SUVs, and those SUVs are badge engineered VWs. Gettin' to the point that if you want a sports car, you have to go to Chevy or Ford...

[cf685f]

Im still trying to figure out what to do with my 2010 Jetta TDI. I guess Ill wait and see if a fix is created. Then if not, I guess they will take it in 2018.

 

[kscarbel2]

19 hours ago, cf685f said:

Im still trying to figure out what to do with my 2010 Jetta TDI. I guess Ill wait and see if a fix is created. Then if not, I guess they will take it in 2018.

If you like the car...........just keep it. Don't allow them to "fix" it. You're not required to do so. Your performance and fuel economy would likely decrease.

If you want a change, GM has the diesel Cruze and a 2018 diesel Traverse is coming, and Mazda will offer a diesel CX5 SUV.

[TeamsterGrrrl]

You'll probably get about $15k for a 2010, not bad for a 7 year old car that probably sold for $20-25k new. If you let them "fix" it, you get around $5k and and a warranty extension on the engine, fuel, and emissions systems. Then you get a tuner to "unfix" it...

[BillyT]

Teamster Grrrrl  I think you'd do well to get out of the VW that they may never engineer the proper fix for! And as u said there may be other issues that will appear when you put more miles on the car, them being such an ethical manufacturer!

[Underdog]

I've been collecting these TDI returns from dealers, VW is overwhelmed with the volume... The dealers tell me corporate assumed that dealers would buy and hold the cars and wait for fix, then resell said cars. Not happening. VW is scrambling to find space now to store them. Our regional collection area is Baltimore, there are cars so far in Curtis Bay, and we are now filling up space at the old Bethlehem Steel property in Sparrows Point. Most consumers I talk to say they love their TDIs, but can't turn down the money that VW is offering. If they are giving you $15k for a 2010, I would take the money and run!

[TeamsterGrrrl]

Yes, the volume of the buybacks is incredible, currently running around 15,000 a week! VW hoped the response would be slow and the dealers would store some of the cars and the transports bringing new cars would haul the rest out instead of return empty, but VW is only selling around 6000 cars a week! I see a transport loaded with turn in cars go by almost every day, and that's coming from just one dealer! This is turning out way worse than VW planned, they assumed most of us would accept a "fix" and the cars that got turned in could be quickly "fixed" and resold, while the owner bought a new VW. Instead, there's no fix in sight, the cars are in worse shape than VW thought, and less than 20% of the owners turning in their cars are buying another VW... Maybe VW Group USA should have declared bankruptcy even if they had to take down Audi and Porsche USA with them?

[Underdog]

Some cars very nice and clean, but others 4-5 years old and TRASHED! It amazes me how some people neglect their automobiles. Probably the 2nd largest expense in life for most people.

[kscarbel2]

15 minutes ago, Underdog said:

Some cars very nice and clean, but others 4-5 years old and TRASHED! It amazes me how some people neglect their automobiles. Probably the 2nd largest expense in life for most people.

I agree with you 500 percent. Purchasing a vehicle is an investment, alike buying a home. Why not maintain one's investment? My vehicles after one or two decades still look virtually new. If you care for the paint from day one, it's a "walk in the park".

[Underdog]

I agree with you 500 percent. Purchasing a vehicle is an investment, alike buying a home. Why not maintain one's investment? My vehicles after one or two decades still look virtually new. If you care for the paint from day one, it's a "walk in the park".

I chose my words carefully in my previous post, hesitant to call an automobile an investment. A new car is one of the worst ways to spend your money. But I, like you, purchase for the long term. I don't buy new, either. I let someone else take the depreciation. My most recent purchase was a 2003 Yukon in 2012, now over 170k,and my daily driver is a 1998 Wrangler with snowplow, purchased in 2005, with around 112k.

[kscarbel2]

1 hour ago, Underdog said:

I chose my words carefully in my previous post, hesitant to call an automobile an investment. A new car is one of the worst ways to spend your money. But I, like you, purchase for the long term. I don't buy new, either. I let someone else take the depreciation. My most recent purchase was a 2003 Yukon in 2012, now over 170k,and my daily driver is a 1998 Wrangler with snowplow, purchased in 2005, with around 112k.

Everyone has different situations. I carefully choose a vehicle which I'm absolutely enamored with, and then keep it for 20 years or more. So for me, I want to and actually enjoy maintaining that investment, a vehicle whose exterior, interior, performance and functionality are all 10's for me.

Owning the vehicle since new, I "know" the maintenance has always been performed. I know the vehicle.

In contrast, in year 2017, so many people are clueless about maintenance, or simply don't wish to do it as they should. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a vehicle they owned.

If you're a short time owner, buying late model used to avoid that initial depreciation is a shrewd move.

[kscarbel2]

Close Confidante Gets VW CEO In New Dieselgate Trouble

Forbes  /  March 26, 2017

When former Porsche chief Matthias Müller took over as CEO of Volkswagen from disgraced Martin Winterkorn, the jovial Bavarian was welcomed as a new start for Volkswagen. Now, the past has caught up with him.

A close confidante and engine computer specialist, supposedly dispatched by Müller to get to the bottom of the dieselgate morass, was involved in the defeat device development from the early get-go, according to documents cited by Germany's BILD newspaper.

Meanwhile, the only VW top executive indicted in the U.S. sued the Volkswagen at home for an unpaid $1.5 million performance bonus, while Volkswagen fired the law firm it hired to “relentlessly” investigate its emissions scandal.

Matthias Müller and Jörg Kerner are old friends. They worked together at Audi. From 2003, Müller was responsible for all Audi and Lamborghini product lines. His friend Kerner was made chief of engine electronics at Audi in 2004, after working for nearly 20 years at Bosch.

At around the same time Kerner took the new job, Audi engineers developed a software routine to minimize that clattering noise cold diesel engines are infamous for. It was called “Acoustic Function.”

The software routine “injected additional fuel into the engine upon ignition, which achieved the effect of reducing noise,” wrote Road&Track, but it also “increased emissions significantly. To combat this issue, Audi then developed the now-infamous defeat device software.”

In 2007, a task-force of Volkswagen Group and Bosch engineers discussed a “group-wide coordination of requirements,” BILD said.

On February 9, 2007, a Bosch engineer sent an email to members of the taskforce, and to electronics-chief Kerner, said BILD: “Next steps acoustic function: VW wants to use the function, and will improve it. Audi wants to deactivate the function, and hide it (leaving it installed with the opportunity to be activated.)”

According to BILD, this was “nothing else than a conspiracy to commit fraud.”

The same Kerner was dispatched by Müller to Audi in 2015 “to find out how the Volkswagen group company cheated, and to assist in the negotiations with U.S. regulators,” BILD wrote today. “All the while, the supposed investigator was clued-in on the fraud from the start.”

Shortly after Matthias Müller was made CEO of Porsche in 2011, he installed confidante Kerner as head of powertrain development. Kerner took the job of

Shortly after Matthias Müller was made CEO of Porsche in 2011, he installed confidante Kerner as head of powertrain development. Kerner took the job of Heinz-Jakob Neusser , who rotated to Volkswagen in the same job. Neußer is one of six Volkswagen managers indicted in America. He most likely is the “Supervisor A” in the Statement of Facts signed by Volkswagen, an admission of guilt that led to the indictments. Living in Germany, Neußer is out of reach of the arm of U.S. justice. He also is not poor. Neußer has been suspended since late 2015, and he is still drawing the not inconsiderable salary of a Volkswagen board member. What he did not get was his annual bonus of around $1.5 million, but he insists to get paid. Last Thursday, Neußer’s lawyers were in a Braunschweig, Germany, court room, and demanded the money. The next court date will be June 27. A month ago, suspended Audi engineer Ulrich Weiß sued in a German labor court, and his lawyers produced documents that bolstered the story written today by BILD.

Also last week, Volkswagen stopped the enquiry of the scandal by the U.S. law firm Jones Day. Jones Day was hired by Volkswagen in 2015 to perform a “relentless investigation,” as VW said back when. The investigation did cost around $150 million in lawyers fees, said BILD, but the findings were never published. German labor courts, along with the really relentless reporting of BILD, seem to shed more light on the scandal than the high-paid Jones Day lawyers. Last week, the Munich offices of Jones Day were raided by German police.

Should Volkswagen CEO Matthias Müller and Audi CEO Rupert Stadler finally fall over the never-ending scandal, and high-ranking executives at Volkswagen I talk to pray nightly that they will, to give the company the fresh start it needs, the executives need not be worried about their retirement money.

BILD tells the story of Wolfgang Hatz, until recently head of Porsche development and boss of Jörg Kerner. In a “night of the long knives” type operation, Hatz was suspended in fall of 2015 along with many high-ranking and lower-ranking engineers throughout Volkswagen. Most took the golden parachutes thety were offered, and bailed, henceforth not to be seen in public. Hatz professed his innocence, and “Müller wanted to bring his old buddy back into the board,” wrote BILD. Union representatives voted against it, and Hatz finally was let go in late 2016. It was a very cushioned fall from grace. Until his retirement (Hatz is 58) the engineer will draw a monthly salary of around $54,000, wrote BILD. A likewise generous pension is paid for. The whole package is said to be worth $13 million, not including the Porsche 911R supercar Hatz received as a good-bye present.

[kscarbel2]

Volkswagen cleared by EPA to sell repaired 2015 diesels

Bloomberg  /  March 29, 2017

Volkswagen AG will soon do what's been impossible since its emissions crisis began: sell diesel-powered cars in the U.S.

The company received approval from the EPA for dealers to sell 2015 model year diesels after updating the vehicles' emissions software, VW Group of America spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said.

The software update is part of a required emissions repair approved by the EPA and California Air Resources Board. The repair will also include changes to diesel engine hardware, but dealers do not have to wait until the repair parts become available early next year, Ginivan said.

"We are still finalizing the details of this program and will provide more information on its implementation at the appropriate time," Ginivan said in a statement.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to rigging nearly 500,000 diesel cars to pass U.S. emissions tests. The company froze sales of new and certified used diesels in the U.S. while it worked with regulators on an approved fix.

The company has set aside $24 billion (22.6 billion euros) to cover costs and fines related to the scandal.

Significant milestone

Reviving diesel sales marks a significant milestone in VW's efforts to recover from the scandal and rebuild its relationship with environmental regulators. It also returns a key product to dealer showrooms that attracted a cult-like customer base and accounted for about 20 percent of the VW brand's pre-scandal sales.

Yet it's a mostly symbolic step. The sales approval only applies to about 67,000 diesels from the 2015 model, about 12,000 of which are currently in dealer inventory, Ginivan said.

An EPA spokeswoman didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

Volkswagen has also said no new diesel models will be offered in the U.S. at least through model year 2018. The company is moving aggressively toward electric vehicles, signaling a diminishing role for diesel engines in the company's portfolio, especially in the U.S.

The program will also eventually include used 2015 diesels the company has repurchased from owners through the 2016 settlement with U.S. regulators and owners, she said. Some customers have elected to keep their cars and receive restitution and an emissions repair under the terms of its $10 billion buyback.

[kscarbel2]

VW settles 10 U.S. state diesel claims for $157 million

Reuters  /  March 30, 2017

Volkswagen AG has agreed to pay $157.45 million to settle environmental claims from 10 U.S. states over its excess diesel emissions, as the world's largest automaker looks to move past the scandal.

The settlement, announced Thursday, covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, as well as some consumer claims.

In 2016, the German automaker reached a $603 million agreement with 44 U.S. states, but that settlement did not cover claims in the announcement.

In total, VW has agreed to spend up to $25 billion in the U.S. to address claims from owners, environmental regulators, states and dealers and to make buyback offers.

The settlement is significantly less than what the states had sought when they sued VW last year.

Washington state had said in 2016 it planned to impose $176 million in penalties related to state environmental claims, while other states said they could seek penalties totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Volkswagen said the deal with 10 state attorneys general "avoids further prolonged and costly litigation as Volkswagen continues to work to earn back the trust of its customers, regulators and the public."

Earlier this month, Volkswagen pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Detroit to fraud, obstruction of justice and falsifying statements as part of a $4.3 billion settlement reached with the U.S. Justice Department in January over the automaker's diesel emissions scandal.

Under the plea agreement, VW agreed to sweeping reforms, new audits and oversight by an independent monitor for three years after admitting to installing secret software in 580,000 U.S. vehicles. The software enabled it to beat emissions tests over a six-year period and emit up to 40 times the legally allowable level of pollution.

The September 2015 disclosure that VW intentionally cheated on emissions tests led to the ouster of its chief executive, damaged the company's reputation around the world and prompted massive bills in what has become the costliest automotive industry scandal in history. VW still faces an ongoing criminal investigation in Germany.

[kscarbel2]

Finally, a judge speaking the truth. Anything less than a full purchase price refund is another crime.

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Canadian VW diesel deal 'nowhere near' best interests of owners, judge says

Automotive News  /  March 31, 2017

Owners may be entitled to a refund of their full original purchase price

An Ontario Superior Court hearing to approve the Volkswagen class action settlement was held over on Friday as the presiding judge said the outlined proposal is “nowhere near” being in the best interests of consumers directly affected by VW’s diesel-cheating scandal.

The proposed system for compensation would see owners of VW’s 2.0-liter TDI diesel-powered cars from the model years 2009 to 2015 receive Canadian Black Book value for their vehicle as of September 2015 -- just before their market value was affected by news of the emissions scandal -- plus additional damages ranging from $5,100 to $8,000.

Under the proposal, which was agreed upon by Volkswagen Canada and the counsel representing affected owners, VW’s projected total estimated payout would be $2.1 billion.

(Claims for cars with 3.0-liter TDI engines are not included in the settlement and have not yet been determined.)

Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba addressed his concerns by citing section 18.2 of Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act.  Under it, because of Volkswagen’s demonstrated intentional misrepresentation of its diesel emissions, TDI owners would be legally entitled to a refund of their full original purchase price.

While Justice Belobaba accepted that depreciation could be a valid factor in valuation, he stated that lawyers representing both VW and the vehicle owners need to demonstrate why it is fair and reasonable for the difference in payouts between purchase price and settlement compensation to be in the range of $10,000 or more. Because it’s a proposal already agreed upon by lawyers for both sides, both sides must prove to Justice Belobaba why the difference in payouts is fair and reasonable.

Of the 105,000 Canadians represented in the class action, approximately 500 written objections to the current settlement have been received by the court. Ten were delivered orally at the hearing.

The majority of those heard by the court noted that Canadian Black Book values are at wholesale rather than retail and that the settlement does not compensate consumers for extra costs such as dealer accessories, extended warranties, fees or taxes.

Several objectors added that they were able to use their TDIs for only four or five years instead of an expected decade or more.

Lawyers on both sides committed to file the requested memorandum to Belobaba within a week. The hearing will reconvene after that.

During Friday’s proceedings, it was confirmed that an import-export clause has been added to the settlement that would see the Canadian registration requirement for compensation waived if the vehicle was registered in the U.S. during the qualifying period, with a similar clause being made available to U.S. consumers.

This is the second Canadian hearing on the VW settlement in as many weeks. On March 22, Justice Marie-Claude Lalande of the Superior Court of Quebec presided over a hearing in Montreal. Her decision is pending.

Should both hearings result in approval, affected consumers will be able to begin filing for claims on April 28.

[kscarbel2]

Mercedes-Benz undecided on future diesel sales in U.S.

Reuters  /  April 12, 2017

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz USA chief said the company has not decided whether to resume selling diesel vehicles in the United States.

The company has not received approval from the EPA to sell 2017 model diesel vehicles.

The EPA said in September 2015 that it would review all U.S. light vehicles with diesel engines following an admission from Volkswagen AG that it had installed software in vehicles that allowed them to emit up to 40 times legally permissible level of pollution.

In April 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice asked Daimler to investigate the emissions certification process for its Mercedes vehicles.

Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, told reporters at the New York auto show that the company's engineers are in talks with the EPA over the diesel vehicles. He said he was not aware of the status of those talks.

Before the EPA declined to approve the sale of 2017 diesel models, Mercedes-Benz diesels accounted for just 2-3 percent of U.S. volume, Exler said.

"No decision made one way or the other," on the future of diesel sales, he added.

Exler said the automaker plans a big boost in electric vehicles, adding 10 new EVs by 2025 worldwide, including 7 or 8 coming to the United States. "That's going to be the big focus going forward," he said.

He declined to comment on the status of the EPA review, saying if a "regulatory investigation is ongoing and you are not involved, it does not make sense to comment."

In March, German prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into whether Daimler employees may have committed fraud in a probe tied to diesel vehicle emissions.

Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by Tata Motors, said on Wednesday it was adding a seventh diesel model for sale in the United States. The company estimates about 10-15 percent of its U.S. sales will be diesels this year.

Fiat Chrysler is also still trying to win U.S. approval to sell 2017 diesel models as the U.S. government decides whether to take legal action.

The EPA accused the Italian-American automaker of illegally using undeclared software to allow excess diesel emissions from 104,000 U.S. trucks and SUVs. The EPA has refused to grant Fiat Chrysler approval to sell 2017 diesel models.

VW Group of America chief Hinrich Woebcken reiterated on Wednesday the company has no plans to resume sales of new  diesel models in the U.S.

In March, VW won approval from the EPA to sell up to 67,000 diesel vehicles from the 2015 model year, including about 12,000 in dealer inventory with approved emissions fixes. Woebcken said dealers have not yet resumed sales.

[kscarbel2]

Volkswagen patriarch Piëch sells stake amid intrigue

The Financial Times  /  April 16, 2017

Grandson of Beetle designer exits after alleged dispute over diesel scandal

It is the end of an era at Volkswagen. With former VW patriarch Ferdinand Piëch having recently agreed to sell the bulk of his shares in the German carmaker, two years after he resigned as chairman, most industry observers believe he will never regain influence at the company.

Piëch, who turns 80 on Monday, is the grandson of VW Beetle designer Ferdinand Porsche and is the person most responsible for transforming the company into the world’s largest carmaker.

Piëch’s genius has been renowned since the 1960s, just as his ruthlessness has been feared.

To many industry watchers, from car enthusiasts to analysts, it looks like Piëch was pressured to sell his 14.7 per cent stake in Porsche SE, the family-run holding company that controls VW.

Piëch’s agreement this month to dispose of these shares to other members of the Porsche and Piëch families that dominate Porsche SE comes after Piëch told prosecutors early this year that five VW supervisory board members had some knowledge of the company’s diesel emissions scandal six months before it became public.

VW’s 20-member board put out a statement in February to “emphatically” repudiate the allegations that directors had any such prior knowledge, and to threaten legal action against Piëch.

This is a highly sensitive matter, partly because prosecutors in Braunschweig have launched at least two criminal investigations into the scandal, including into whether former VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn knew of the fraud.

The prosecutors are also probing the conduct of several other senior VW managers in relation to the question of should investors have been told sooner about the affair.

It has never been adequately explained why Piëch battled with the VW supervisory board in April 2015, leading to his resignation as chairman. But days after the emissions scandal was revealed by US regulators in September of that year, Winterkorn stepped down as chief executive, saying he was not aware of wrongdoing on his part [now proven a lie].

The allegations that Piëch told prosecutors that certain VW board members had early knowledge of the cheating has prompted some people who have worked with him to speculate whether he deliberately masterminded his own demise before the scandal went public — in effect playing the role of a captain who renounces control of the ship, and letting his first mate go down with the sinking vessel.

Bob Lutz, former vice-chairman of General Motors and one of the most influential car executives of the last 50 years, says it would “not surprise me if Piëch orchestrated his own departure to leave Winterkorn holding the bag".

Piëch’s reputation as an incredibly ambitious, Machiavellian character with a singular drive and a flair for drama began in the 1960s when he led the race competition unit at sports car maker Porsche, which was founded by his grandfather Ferdinand Porsche.

Piëch set out to dominate Le Mans, the prestigious 24-hour car race, and he invested massively in a project to create the Porsche 917, culminating in two big wins that transformed the company — but in the process nearly bankrupted it. He moved, in 1972, to Audi, where as head of technical development he launched the Quattro and oversaw a series of innovations that turned a lacklustre brand into a viable competitor for BMW and Mercedes.

After rising to serve as Audi’s top manager, in 1993 Piëch became VW chief executive, where he is credited with saving the company from collapse and then launching an empire-building phase that involved acquiring luxury brands including Bentley. He became chairman in 2002, extending his influence further and playing a central role in the acquisition of Porsche.

Richard A Johnston, in his 2005 book “Six Men Who Built the Modern Auto Industry”, says Piëch “more than any single individual, promoted and maintained Europe’s technical advantage over the rest of the automotive world in the second half of the 20th century”.

But Johnston also describes Piëch as a “world class eccentric” and “an abuser of power”.

Piëch gained a reputation for dislodging VW managers he fell out with by publicly using a few choice words against them.

The widespread conclusion now, among analysts and industry executives, is that Piëch overplayed his hand in April 2015, when he attempted his tried-and-trusted method of turning a private quarrel public by telling Der Spiegel he was “at a distance” to Winterkorn.

With senior VW directors siding with Winterkorn, Piëch resigned. The paranoid chatter among VW employees at the company’s Wolfsburg headquarters immediately after the emissions scandal broke was that Piëch had somehow leaked details of the affair to bring down Winterkorn. No evidence supports this, however.

The German media stories stating that Piëch told prosecutors investigating the emissions scandal that five VW supervisory board members had early knowledge of the affair creates two possible scenarios, says a former company employee. First, Piëch went too far by accusing the supervisory board, the claims are without merit and the sale of his shares in Porsche SE signifies his final downfall. Or, second, he is sitting back, allowing the board members to protest their innocence before he releases evidence. It would be completely against Piëch’s nature to give in, adds the former VW employee.

“As long as he’s alive, Piëch will try to come back,” says this person.

.

 

[cf685f]

They say they can't fix my 2010 and no fix is available. I've been holding on to it, beautiful car with only 70,000 miles on it. Something happened yesterday and I took it in. Turned out plugged DPF. So I got a new DPF at a cost of $3,979.00 for free. No way to clean it, so that's not very many miles? My warranty runs out at 80,000 so I guess I will turn it back in at 79,999 miles.

 

[kscarbel2]

54 minutes ago, cf685f said:

They say they can't fix my 2010 and no fix is available. I've been holding on to it, beautiful car with only 70,000 miles on it. Something happened yesterday and I took it in. Turned out plugged DPF. So I got a new DPF at a cost of $3,979.00 for free. No way to clean it, so that's not very many miles? My warranty runs out at 80,000 so I guess I will turn it back in at 79,999 miles.

If you love the car and it's in great condition, I would just keep it. If the DPF plugs again, replace it with a pipe from an earlier non-DPF model.

[TeamsterGrrrl]

IIRC, Karma TDI has DPF delete pipes and there's DPF delete "tunes" available too. Or you could just let VW buy it back and get one of the new 2015 TDIs...

[cf685f]

Good thoughts, just got it back. That new dpf is awesome, runs like someone took the cork out of the exhaust.

 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

Sounds great, with only 80k miles your TDI is a keeper! Cleaned the intake on my '03 TDI last fall, now it will spin the front wheels upshifting to 2nd again like when it was new. I'm buying a new 2015 Golf TDI next week (assuming the deal doesn't fall apart) just to stay stocked up on diesels in case I can't buy another one, and will probably keep the 2013 if I can't get the new TDI. When they start "fixing" and reselling the turned in TDIs I may buy another if the prices are reasonable.