Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The emissions scandal that has engulfed Volkswagen is getting more toxic by the day.
In addition to the deepening legal fallout, the German automaker′s emissions fraud is
causing European countries to bow to pressure to rerun tests on cars.
Shin Se-min reports.
The diesel emissions fraud scandal at Germany′s Volkswagen is worsening.
Another management-change has occurred,… with Volkswagen tipped to place Porsche boss
Matthias Muller in charge, just a day after Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn resigned
over the crisis. The company will also dismiss the R&D chiefs
of Audi and Porsche and its top manager in the U.S., where the manipulation to circumvent
diesel emission rules was first discovered. Stocks have fallen nearly 30-percent since
news of the automaker′s Clean Air Act violations broke last Friday,… and more than 50-percent
less than the 52-week high in March. Credit ratings agencies Standard & Poor′s
and Moody′s both warned of a possible reduction of the beleaguered company′s ratings.
While dealers in the U.S. are struggling with the remaining vehicles in stock,… angry
customers are demanding compensation from their local dealerships.
″In theory, any VW customer can find a way to sue for damages,… even pedestrians,
residents, and neighbors can claim they′ve been affected. I think there will be an avalanche
of lawsuits.″ And the fallout is affecting other European
automakers as well. What started with Volkswagen has prompted
the European Union to urge all 28-member nations to launch their own investigations.
″We have also been informed that in Europe, vehicles with 1.6 and 2.0 liter diesel engines
are affected by the manipulations that are being talked about.″
Already, shares of BMW have plunged after a report showed the diesel version of its
X3 Sport-utility vehicle emitting more than 11 times the European limit for air pollution.
The reality … is that this is just the beginning of increased scrutiny of the entire auto industry
and its methods for testing vehicles. Shin Se-min, Arirang News.