VW exhaust scandal: It probably knew a lot more staff communication – STERN

In the workup of the exhaust scandal Volkswagen According to media reports has progressed. How “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (weekend edition), NDR and WDR reported in recent months, a witness, said to have been personally involved in the manipulation, testified extensively in internal surveys in the carmaker. Against the leniency applicant also investigating the Braunschweiger prosecutor. A VW spokesman declined to comment on the report on Friday night. A spokesman for the prosecutor’s office could not be reached.

The prosecutor under investigation for suspected fraud against a number of VW employees. In VW also run internal investigations. Volkswagen had announced its intention to submit a report to the scandal of the General Meeting in April. The carmaker had manipulated using software exhaust test on diesel vehicles. This had the group plunged into a serious crisis.

No secret in the engine development

The reportedly say the available evidence is that virtually all parties concerned by the exhaust problems executives the engine development had known of the manipulation or were even involved. In the department concerned it was no secret that VW in the emission tests by the authorities in the USA and Europe just as the pollutant limits for nitrogen oxide officially have to comply with, it said. Many employees and managers in this division were inaugurated. To protect yourself, have in the department a “vow of silence” reigned. Other areas within the Group should have to know anything, apart from some exceptions.

The manipulation had started in November 2006. According to the findings at the time to a larger group of employees have discussed in the engine development the use of fraud software.

Clean, but not too expensive

As already known, was the starting point of the scandal a strategic large-scale diesel offensive of VW in the US in 2005 and 2006. VW then had massive sales problems in the US. VW wanted to cut out the hybrid technology of archrival Toyota with a “Clean Diesel”. This technique should be clean, but not too expensive. But this could only be achieved by means of the manipulation software.

The VW-tip had always insisted that the manipulations in the engine control only a small group was aware of employees, but not the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board. VW had leave in response to the exhaust gas scandal several employees.