Volkswagen emissions scandal

"Dieselgate" and "Emissionsgate" redirect here. For other diesel emissions scandals, see Diesel emissions scandal.

Volkswagen emissions scandal
A 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI displaying "Clean Diesel" at the Detroit Auto Show
Date2008–2015
LocationWorldwide
Also known asDieselgate, Emissionsgate
TypeEmission standard violations
CauseEngaging full emissions control only during testing
ParticipantsInternational Council on Clean Transportation, West Virginia University, Volkswagen Group, US EPA, other regulators
OutcomeFines and lawsuits
Footagevwdieselinfo.com
Timeline
1999New US Tier 2 rules established to replace Tier 1. NOx limit decreasing from 1.0 g/mi to 0.07 g/mi
2004–2009Phase-in period of diesel emissions rules
2007Volkswagen suspends sales of current diesel lines awaiting technology to meet new standards. Bosch allegedly warns Volkswagen not to use its software illegally.[1][2]
2008Volkswagen announces new Clean Diesel cars. Some cars are described in Europe as "EU4 emissions standard (EU5 compliant)".[3] Cars with the test-rigging software are sold in the UK.[4]
2009US Tier 2 fully in effect,
Volkswagen TDI cars go on sale in US. In Europe, some models are now being described as Euro emission class 5, a change from class 4 in 2008.[3][5]
2009–2015Volkswagen diesel sales in the US rebound, Clean Diesels win several environmental awards, receive tax breaks
2013International Council on Clean Transportation asks WVU CAFEE to help demonstrate the benefits of US diesel technology, hoping to have Europe follow suit
May 2014Instead, CAFEE finds discrepancies showing poor on-road emissions. Results presented at public forum and published, getting attention of EPA
2014–2015EPA repeats tests, and contacts Volkswagen for explanation of poor real world NOx emissions
Dec 2014Volkswagen orders voluntary recall of TDI cars but CARB and EPA not satisfied
3 September 2015EPA threatens to not certify 2016 diesels, Volkswagen responds by admitting software was programmed to cheat testing
18 September 2015Public announcement by EPA of order to recall 2009–2015 cars
20 September 2015Volkswagen admits deception, issues public apology
21 September 2015First business day after news, Volkswagen stock down 20 percent
22 September 2015Volkswagen to spend $7.3B to cover costs of scandal; stock declines another 17 percent
23 September 2015CEO Martin Winterkorn resigns
29 September 2015Volkswagen announces plans to refit up to 11 million vehicles affected by the emissions violations scandal
2 October 2015Volkswagen sets up an online based service on which customers can check if their car is affected based on the vehicle identification number
8 October 2015Volkswagen US CEO Michael Horn testifies before US Congress
3 November 2015Volkswagen's investigation finds that CO2 emissions and fuel consumption figures are also affected by "irregularities".[6]
25 November 2015The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) approves Volkswagen fixes for 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 diesel engines in Europe.[7][8]
9 December 2015Volkswagen revises previous estimates on CO2 emissions irregularities, saying that only around 36,000 vehicles are affected.[9]
9 March 2016Volkswagen US CEO Michael Horn resigns, citing a "mutual agreement" with the company.[10]
21 April 2016Volkswagen announces that it will offer its US customers "substantial compensation" and car buyback offers for nearly 500,000 2.0-litre vehicles.[11]
6 Nov 2016Regulators in California discover that Audi engines were rigged to produce lower CO2.[12]
7 January 2017FBI arrests emissions compliance manager Oliver Schmidt in a Florida airport restroom on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.[13]
11 January 2017Volkswagen agrees to plead guilty to the emissions scandal and to pay $4.3 billion in penalties. Six Volkswagen executives are charged.[14][15]
3 May 2018Ex-CEO Winterkorn is indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges in the US[16]
18 June 2018In connection with the case, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler is arrested in Germany.[17]
16 October 2018Audi agrees to a fine of €800 million in Germany to resolve civil claims over duty to oversight (Verletzung der Aufsichtspflicht in Unternehmen)[18]
14 March 2019US SEC alleges that Volkswagen AG, Martin Winterkorn, et al. defrauded investors and files suit in N.D. Cal.[19]
15 April 2019Winterkorn and four other executives are charged by prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany.[20]
31 July 2019Stadler and three others are charged by prosecutors in Munich, Germany.[21]
24 September 2019Pötsch, Diess, and Winterkorn are charged with stock market manipulation by prosecutors in Germany.[22]
14 January 2020Six additional individuals are charged by prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany.[23]

The Volkswagen emissions scandal, sometimes known as Dieselgate[24][25] or Emissionsgate,[26][25] began in September 2015, when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to German automaker Volkswagen Group.[27] The agency had found that Volkswagen had intentionally programmed turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines to activate their emissions controls only during laboratory emissions testing, which caused the vehicles' NOx output to meet US standards during regulatory testing. However, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times more NOx in real-world driving.[28] Volkswagen deployed this software in about 11 million cars worldwide, including 500,000 in the United States, in model years 2009 through 2015.[29][30][31][32]

  1. ^ "Abgas-Skandal bei VW – Techniker warnte schon 2011 vor Manipulationen". Bild. 27 September 2015.
  2. ^ "VW scandal: Carmaker was warned by Bosch about test-rigging software in 2007". International Business Times UK. 28 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b "The Passat" (PDF). UK: Volkswagen Group. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  4. ^ "VW says sold first UK vehicle with emission test rigging software in 2008". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. ^ "The Passat Estate" (PDF). UK: Volkswagen Group. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  6. ^ Volkswagen says 800,000 cars may have false CO2 levels – BBC News, BBC, 4 November 2015, retrieved 4 November 2015
  7. ^ Volkswagen European TDI repair for diesel cars, Autoweek.com, 17 December 2015, retrieved 27 December 2015
  8. ^ Bruce, Chris (25 November 2015). "VW explains fixes for 1.6, 2.0 diesels in Europe". Autoblog. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference reuters.com_2015-12-09 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Volkswagen's US chief leaves troubled German carmaker". BBC News. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ewing-2016-04-25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Boston, William (6 November 2016). "New Discovery Broadens VW Emissions-Cheating Crisis". The Wall Street Journal. US. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  13. ^ "VW Executive Oliver Schmidt Sentenced to 7 Years for Dieselgate". Forbes.
  14. ^ Tabuchi, Hiroko; Ewing, Jack; Apuzzo, Matt (11 January 2017). "Six Volkswagen Executives Charged in Emissions Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  15. ^ Shepardson, David. "U.S. indicts six as Volkswagen agrees to $4.3 billion diesel settlement". Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  16. ^ Ewing, Jack (3 May 2018). "Ex-Volkswagen C.E.O. Charged With Fraud Over Diesel Emissions". The New York Times. US. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Audi chief Rupert Stadler arrested in diesel emissions probe". BBC News. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  18. ^ Ewing, Jack (16 October 2018). "Audi, Admitting to Role in Diesel-Cheating Scheme, Agrees to Pay Major Fine". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  19. ^ "SEC Charges Volkswagen, Former CEO with Defrauding Bond Investors During "Clean Diesel" Emissions Fraud" (Press release). 15 March 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  20. ^ McHugh, David (15 April 2019). "Former Volkswagen CEO charged with fraud in Germany". The Associated Press. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  21. ^ Poltz, Jörn; Schuetze, Arno (31 July 2019). "German prosecutors charge ex-Audi boss Stadler over emissions cheating". Reuters. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  22. ^ Ewing, Jack (24 September 2019). "2 Top VW Executives and Ex-C.E.O. Charged With Market Manipulation". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Weitere Anklage im Diesel-Komplex" (Press release) (in German). 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  24. ^ Parloff, Roger (6 February 2018). "How VW Paid $25 Billion for 'Dieselgate' – and Got Off Easy". Fortune. US. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  25. ^ a b Aichner, Thomas; Coletti, Paolo; Jacob, Frank; Wilken, Robert (2021). "Did the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Harm the "Made in Germany" Image? A Cross‑Cultural, Cross‑Products, Cross‑Time Study". Corporate Reputation Review. 24 (4): 179–190. doi:10.1057/s41299-020-00101-5. S2CID 229016335.
  26. ^ Cormack, Lucy; Hatch, Patrick (1 September 2016). "ACCC takes Volkswagen to court over diesel emission claims". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  27. ^ Jung, Jae C.; Sharon, Elizabeth (9 April 2019). "The Volkswagen emissions scandal and its aftermath". Global Business and Organizational Excellence. 38 (4): 6–15. doi:10.1002/JOE.21930. ISSN 1932-2054. Wikidata Q104840679.
  28. ^ "'It Was Installed For This Purpose', VW's U.S. CEO Tells Congress About Defeat Device". NPR. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  29. ^ "EPA, California Notify Volkswagen of Clean Air Act Violations / Carmaker allegedly used software that circumvents emissions testing for certain air pollutants". US: EPA. 18 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  30. ^ Jordans, Frank (21 September 2015). "EPA: Volkswagon [sic] Thwarted Pollution Regulations For 7 Years". CBS Detroit. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  31. ^ "Abgasaffäre: VW-Chef Müller spricht von historischer Krise". Der Spiegel. Reuters. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ewing2015b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).