VW in trouble

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: VW in trouble

In a meeting on Wednesday, September 23, the Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG discussed in detail the manipulation of emissions data of Volkswagen Group diesel engines and came to the following conclusions:

1. The Executive Committee takes this matter extremely seriously. The Executive Committee recognizes not only the economic damage caused, but also the loss of trust among many customers worldwide.

2. The Executive Committee agrees that these incidents need to be clarified with great conviction and that mistakes are corrected. At the same time, the Executive Committee is adamant that it will take the necessary decisive steps to ensure a credible new beginning.

3. The Executive Committee has great respect for Chairman Professor Dr. Winterkorn’s offer to resign his position and to ask that his employment agreement be terminated. The Executive Committee notes that Professor Dr. Winterkorn had no knowledge of the manipulation of emissions data. The Executive Committee has tremendous respect for his willingness to nevertheless assume responsibility and, in so doing, to send a strong signal both internally and externally. Dr. Winterkorn has made invaluable contributions to Volkswagen. The company’s rise to global company is inextricably linked to his name. The Executive Committee thanks Dr. Winterkorn for towering contributions in the past decades and for his willingness to take responsibility in this criticall phase for the company. This attitude is illustrious.

4. Recommendations for new personnel will be presented at the upcoming meeting of the Supervisory Board this Friday.

5. The Executive Committee is expecting further personnel consequences in the next days. The internal Group investigations are continuing at a high tempo. All participants in these proceedings that has resulted in unmeasurable harm for Volkswagen, will be subject to the full consequences.

6. The Executive Committee have decided that the company will voluntarily submit a complaint to the State Prosecutors’ office in Brunswick. In the view of the Executive Committee criminal proceedings may be relevant due to the irregularities. The investigations of the State Prosecutor will be supported in all form from the side of Volkswagen.

7. The Executive Committee proposes that the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG create a special committee, under whose leadership further clarifying steps will follow, including the preparation of the necessary consequences. In this regard, the Special Committee would make use of external advice. Further details about this will be decided at the Supervisory Board meeting on Friday.

8. The Executive Committee is aware that coming to terms with the crisis of trust will be a long term task that requires a high degree of consistency and thoroughness.

9. The Executive Committee will work on these tasks together with the employees and the Management Board. Volkswagen is a magnificent company that depends on the efforts of hundreds of thousands of people. We consider it our task that this company regains the trust of our customers in every respect.

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: VW in trouble

More news:

German media is reporting Audi's R&D chief and Porsche's engine boss will announce their retirement from VAG tomorrow.

It seems heads are starting to roll within the Volkswagen Group due to the diesel engine emissions scandal as after CEO Martin Winterkorn's resignation yesterday, a report issued by Bild now states Ulrich Hackenberg - the man in charge of Audi's research and development - will also leave VAG along with Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche's engine chief.

The official announcement is expected to take place tomorrow during the company's Supervisory Board meeting where Winterkorn's replacement will be revealed. According to the latest reports coming from Germany, Winterkorn could be succeeded as CEO by Porsche unit chief Matthias Mueller or Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess. Another possible successor is Skoda's boss Winfried Vahland while a completely new name is unlikely to occur taking into account most of the voting power is held by only a handful of shareholders.

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: VW in trouble

BMW next...

Hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s huge diesel scandal, BMW could also get into trouble as it seems they were also cheating on emissions tests.

AutoBild reports the X3 xDrive 20d has failed during a street test performed by the International Council on Clean Transportation, showing more than eleven times higher emissions of nitric oxide than permitted by the European Union.

The information is still not confirmed by the Bavarian manufacturer, but the shares of the company have already fallen with more than 8% since Thursday morning.
Full details about the research are expected tomorrow with the next issue of the AutoBild magazine.

[stefan]

Re: VW in trouble

BMW spoke openly about the accusations, assuring the press that the vehicles meet emissions tests both on the road and in the lab. Neither the EPA nor California Air Resources Board has approached them on the issue.

General Motors hasn’t yet publicly discussed the tests, but may have a few skeletons hiding in it closet. Vauxhall chairman and Opel Ireland CEO Tim Tozer abruptly resigned from his position yesterday, citing an opportunity to, Pursue his career outside of General Motors.

Days earlier, journalists met with Tim where he showed, “No signs of a man about to leave his company,” according to Auto Express. Naturally, we can’t say for sure whether #Dieselgate and Tozer’s departure are directly connected, but the timing is disconcerting.

[Red90]

Re: VW in trouble

AutoBild reports the X3 xDrive 20d has failed during a street test performed by the International Council on Clean Transportation, showing more than eleven times higher emissions of nitric oxide than permitted by the European Union..

Yes... The same test report that started this for VW as linked above. It is pretty clear by the test results that BMW has the same thing happening. They were just less overt about it with the regular tuning...

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: VW in trouble

Yes... The same test report that started this for VW as linked above. It is pretty clear by the test results that BMW has the same thing happening. They were just less overt about it with the regular tuning...

AutoBild revised it's article, saying there's no real evidence BMW is using a device to cheat the emission tests. A spokesman of the Bavarian company told the magazine “there is no function to recognize emissions testing cycles at BMW" and "all emissions systems remain active outside the testing cycles”.

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: VW in trouble

Today is supposed to be a big day we should see some heads rolling and probably a new CEO:

According to Reuters, Volkswagen of America's chief executive Michael Horn will be dismissed on Friday and replaced by Skoda chief Winfried Vahland who was originally believed to be in the race for the position of CEO of the Volkswagen Group.

German media is reporting Audi's R&D chief and Porsche's engine boss will announce their retirement from VAG tomorrow.
It seems heads are starting to roll within the Volkswagen Group due to the diesel engine emissions scandal as after CEO Martin Winterkorn's resignation yesterday, a report issued by Bild now states Ulrich Hackenberg - the man in charge of Audi's research and development - will also leave VAG along with Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche's engine chief.

The official announcement is expected to take place tomorrow during the company's Supervisory Board meeting where Winterkorn's replacement will be revealed. According to the latest reports coming from Germany, Winterkorn could be succeeded as CEO by Porsche unit chief Matthias Mueller or Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess. Another possible successor is Skoda's boss Winfried Vahland while a completely new name is unlikely to occur taking into account most of the voting power is held by only a handful of shareholders.


News agency Reuters is reporting Porsche's CEO Matthias Müller will be appointed as Martin Winterkorn's successor.

The official announcement will be made tomorrow following the Supervisory Board meeting within the Volkswagen Group. At the same meeting, it is believed Audi's research and development boss Ulrich Hackenberg along with Porsche's engine chief Wolfgang Hatz will be forced to announce their resignation while Volkswagen of America's chief executive Michael Horn is going to be replaced by current Skoda chief Winfried Vahland.

All of these changes at the top of the corporate ladder are a consequence of the so-called "dieselgate" involving a special device installed on the Type EA 189 2.0-liter turbodiesel engines to manipulate emissions tests. Volkswagen says they have allocated €6.5 billion to fix around 11 million cars that have this cheating gimmick and also to pay the upcoming fines.

A new report states Volkswagen has installed a similar device on the smaller 1.6 TDI engine as well, but we don't have a confirmation at this point. Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in United States has already started investigating the V6 3.0-liter turbodiesel available on a variety of larger models from the VAG empire.

[Red90]

Re: VW in trouble

AutoBild revised it's article, saying there's no real evidence BMW is using a device to cheat the emission tests. A spokesman of the Bavarian company told the magazine “there is no function to recognize emissions testing cycles at BMW" and "all emissions systems remain active outside the testing cycles”.

Sure, it is VERY obvious from the test that they do. On the EPA dyno, they were non-detect on NOX. During the on road testing they were at or above the alloawable limit with one being 10 times over. Quite clearly they have the same software, as I'm sure everyone does. They just made sure they kept the real emissions low enough not to get the EPA upset.

[ryukin2000]

Re: VW in trouble

just read this post from TDI forums and thought it had some take away points.

"I just spent some time chewing through the WVU/CAFEE/ICCT report. To all of you feeling bad about yourself because your beloved TDI produces “40 times the allowable NOx emissions”, allow me to cut through a bit of the media hype.

First off, the 40x maximum deviation was only measured in a Jetta TDI with the Lean NOx Trap (LNT). The Passat TDI with selective catalytic reduction (SCR/AdBlue) exceeded the allowable threshold by only 20x. So if you’re “fortunate” enough to have a TDI with SCR, you’re only half the eco-villain as those of us with LNTs.

Secondly, the portion of the testing that resulted in the maximum deviation for both cars was a rural uphill-downhill cycle with the equivalent of 4 adult passengers (305 kg) in the vehicle due to the weight of the test equipment. Or in the words of the researchers, “it has to be noted that the addition of measurement equipment was increasing the actual vehicle weight, thereby possibly influencing the engine’s load demand and resulting emissions rates. The payload…was representative of four adult passengers totaling 300kg when assuming 75kg per individual passenger.”

Further, a close reading of the report reveals that some of the on-road cycles - including the one with the 40x deviation - included at least one diesel particulate filter (DPF) regen cycle that resulted in a NOx spike. It appears the researchers consider NOx spikes during regen a valid component of the measured NOx because it’s a normal consequence of the emission system’s operation. But it seems that even a TDI in alleged “cheat mode” will fail a dyno test if a regen occurs.

And finally, the rural uphill/downhill cycle is clearly the worst-case scenario for NOx emissions. The researchers reported that even the BMW X5 diesel exceeded US-EPA Tier2-Bin5 emissions standard by a factor of 10 on this cycle. Not sure why the media conveniently missed this piece of news but all you smug BMW X5 diesel owners should take note - you guys might be next on the EPA’s hit list.

So how much NOx is your car really producing in your daily commute? Well, how much of your daily commute involves driving your TDI in the mountains with your best bro riding shotgun and two compadres in the rear? I’m guessing not much. For the more common highway cycle, the measured NOx was significantly less - only 8-14 times the US-EPA Tier2-Bin5 levels - and this is still with the equivalent of 4 adult passengers on board, a DPF regen cycle or two, and perhaps a few testing errors thrown in for good measure. So if spend most of your driving time just cruising down the highway alone, you and your TDI might not be as “dirty” as you’ve been led to believe.

As a side note, when WVU conducted correlation tests between their on-road PEMS and the EPA CVS dynamometer equipment they failed to include the restrictive exhaust adapter with sharp 90-degree bend used for the on-road tests of the VW TDIs. I think the back pressure produced by this setup may have had a significant impact on the measured NOx during on-road testing. The exhaust adapter used on the BMW X5 appears to be much less restrictive. Check out the photos included in the report and see if you agree."

[bobkatkat]

Re: VW in trouble

I am not sure why people are still going over the validity or fairness of the test. VW has admitted they implemented a cheat. No grey areas here, not a little bit pregnant, OJ did it!

The dust will settle. VW have to, and will make it right. Now that the cat is out of the bag just imagine the future cars they will build. They will be forced to build even better, more powerful, more efficient and cleaner cars because everybody is watching. In the 80's The VAG Group went through the Audi 5000 throttle sticking issue and sales collapsed. They were almost forced to abandon the us market in 1993. They took it on the chin and started producing some of the best cars available because they were forced to over-engineer. We are all fans of the VAG group because of the quality that resulted. I for one can't wait for them to start over-engineering the future. I drive a 500+ HP, 16 year old DD because of them being forced to over-engineer the past. This will be a good thing for all us fans.

Bring on the Twin turbo 1.6 litre TDIs, bring on the triturbo 3.0 TDIs, bring on the petrol engines with two turbos and an electric turbo on top. Bring on the shedding of 400lbs every model change, bring on the aluminum and composite body panels. It will be rough for a bit but its going to get good, real good, for car enthusiasts and the environment.

[ryukin2000]

Re: VW in trouble

I for one am not arguing that they didn't cheat. It's clear as mud. I just think it's nice that the car isn't polluting up to the 40x stated all the time. That is the main number the media only mentions. Seems to only get those numbers on hills and with 600 lbs added.

[Circuits]

Re: VW in trouble

I am not sure why people are still going over the validity or fairness of the test. VW has admitted they implemented a cheat. No grey areas here, not a little bit pregnant, OJ did it!

The dust will settle. VW have to, and will make it right. Now that the cat is out of the bag just imagine the future cars they will build. They will be forced to build even better, more powerful, more efficient and cleaner cars because everybody is watching. In the 80's The VAG Group went through the Audi 5000 throttle sticking issue and sales collapsed. They were almost forced to abandon the us market in 1993. They took it on the chin and started producing some of the best cars available because they were forced to over-engineer. We are all fans of the VAG group because of the quality that resulted. I for one can't wait for them to start over-engineering the future. I drive a 500+ HP, 16 year old DD because of them being forced to over-engineer the past. This will be a good thing for all us fans.

Bring on the Twin turbo 1.6 litre TDIs, bring on the triturbo 3.0 TDIs, bring on the petrol engines with two turbos and an electric turbo on top. Bring on the shedding of 400lbs every model change, bring on the aluminum and composite body panels. It will be rough for a bit but its going to get good, real good, for car enthusiasts and the environment.

^^^^^ What he said....

[stefan]

Re: VW in trouble

I don't think too many folks are arguing that they didn't cheat. I agree that they straight up broke the rules, but there is not much published to date that means a heck of a lot. The degree to which they broke the rules is still pretty relevant. It's the difference between billions, and more billions... I agree they messed up, but I'm still pretty interested in what they did, as well as what is manipulated statistics. So by all means.... keep posting info, I say.

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: VW in trouble

Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Dr. Herbert Diess has announced they are "working at full speed on a solution" for the problematic diesel-powered cars.

Based on an internal evaluation, Volkswagen has discovered there are around five million VW-branded passenger cars affected all over the world. In addition, some models and model years of these cars are powered exclusively by the now very popular type EA 189 diesel engines, with some examples being the sixth-gen Golf, seventh-gen Passat and the first-gen Tiguan. Volkswagen underlines the fact that all Euro 6-compliant TDI models do not come with the "defeat device."

According to Dr. Herbert Diess, man in charge of the passenger cars at Volkswagen, "we are working at full speed on a technical solution that we will present to partners, to our customers and to the public as swiftly as possible. Our aim is to inform our customers as quickly as possible, so that their vehicles comply fully with regulations. I assure you that Volkswagen will do everything humanly possible to win back the trust of our customers, the dealerships and the public."

VW will soon release information for all markets regarding the exact number of cars affected locally and they say "remedial measures" are being developed in collaboration with the certification authorities. Volkswagen mentions owners of these vehicles should not worry as their cars remain "technically safe and roadworthy."

[P Arkus]

Re: VW in trouble

What happened at Friday's meetings? Have they announced a new Org structure/chart?