Audi admits over 2 million vehicles are part of VW emissions scandall

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Audi & Porsche Facilities Raided

A number of Porsche and Audi facilities have been raided by German prosecutors as part of ongoing investigations related to the diesel emissions cheating scandal.

Thirty public prosecutors searched ten Porsche properties in search of unspecified documents. Financial Times reports that three people have come under suspicion after the raid, including a member of the Porsche management board, a senior Porsche manager, and a former Porsche employee.

 

[ron v]

Yea right. They’re gonna pay them off with 911 turbos and we’ll never hear of this again.

 

[bootyluvr]

Knew it was a matter of time.... I'm sure all of the auto manufacturers cheat at some point. Some more than others...

 

[webby]

Audi CEO Arrested And Jailed In Germany After Wiretap Findings

Stadler was arrested and imprisoned by German authorities on suspicion he was interfering with ongoing investigations concerning the brand’s emissions-cheating diesel engines.

Stadler was apprehended at his home in the early morning hours of June 18 — a stunning development that company insiders say they didn't see coming. The 55-year-old executive could face charges of fraud in connection with "defeat device" software found in Audi diesel vehicles in Europe.

Evidence emerged that Audi had played a key role in developing the illegal emissions software while Stadler was CEO. A week after naming him a suspect in their investigation, German authorities swooped in after a wiretap reportedly indicated Stadler was influencing witnesses to cover up the affair. Brought immediately before a magistrate, the Audi CEO was denied bail on the grounds he might obstruct the investigation were he to remain at large.

That makes Stadler, the son of a Bavarian farmer who studied corporate finance in college, the highest-ranking official at Volkswagen Group to be arrested because of the scandal. He is the first German CEO to be taken into custody on the suspicion of corporate wrongdoing while still in office.

 

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Prosecutors Slap Audi With $928 Million Fine For Diesel Violations

Following VW’s €1 billion fine in June, German prosecutors have penalized Audi as well with the whopping amount of €800 million ($928 million).

The huge fine is “due to deviations from regulatory requirements in the context of certain V6 and V8 diesel aggregates and diesel vehicles manufactured or distributed by Audi AG,” the automaker says in a statement.

The investigation carried out by the Munich II public prosecutor found that Audi’s “emissions service/power engine approval” failed to monitor vehicles’ regulatory conformity. According to the results obtained by the prosecution, the breaches of monitoring duties “were concurrent causes of certain V6 and V8 diesel aggregates developed by Audi AG not meeting regulatory requirements.” That’s not all.

 

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Cheating Emissions Software Leads To Mercedes-Benz GLK Recall In Germany

The Volkswagen Group opened the Pandora’s Box in 2015 when they admitted that certain vehicles were using cheating emissions software. Since then, regulators all over the world have looked into several automakers over similar suspicions, and while some came out clean, others have been caught using the same, illegal, practice. A German paper said that the alleged function was actually removed by Daimler during a software update. The automaker denied all accusations, but stated that they will collaborate with the country’s local authorities to fix the cars.

Since Volkswagen came clean nearly four years ago, Daimler has recalled around 3 million vehicles to fix their excessive emissions. The most recent incident concerns Mercedes-Benz, who was forced to recall several diesel-powered vehicles in Germany. According to AutoNews, quoting the Transportation Ministry, the safety campaign covers GLK 220 models made from 2012 until 2015.

The premium compact SUV is believed to have been fitted with software that provides false data during emissions tests, after preliminary investigation found that it only meets the required standards when a specific function is activated.

 

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Ex-Audi Boss Rupert Stadler Officially Charged Over Emissions Scandal

Former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has been officially charged by German prosecutors for his involvement in VW Group’s emissions cheating scandal. Reuters reports that the public prosecutor’s office in Munich, Germany, said that Stadler along with three other defendants are being charged with fraud, false certification and criminal advertising practices.

“Defendant Stadler is accused of having been aware of the manipulations since the end of September 2015 at the latest, but he did not prevent the sale of affected Audi and VW vehicles thereafter,” the prosecutor said in a statement.

The prosecutors added that Stadler’s indictment relates to around 250,000 Audi models, 112,000 Porsches and 72,000 VW cars that were illegally fitted with the aforementioned software and sold both in the US and Europe. Back in September 2015, VW Group admitted that it used illegal software to alter the results of its diesel-powered vehicles during emission testing. The scandal has already costed the German car maker around $33.5 million (30 million euros). In addition, Audi admitted the use of an auxiliary control device in models fitted with the 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine, which was deemed illegal in the United States.

Stadler was arrested in June 2018, with VW Group later terminating his contract, replacing him with Bram Schot in December 2018. Citing sources familiar with the matter, Stadler has denied any wrongdoing, as well as Wolfgang Hatz, former development chief at Porsche and former head of powertrain at Audi, who’s also reportedly been charged by the prosecutors.

 

[sunofwolf]

too bad honda didn't do some cheating maybe the car would shift faster!

 

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VW To Pay $96.5 Million To 98,000 U.S. Customers Over False Emissions Figures

Volkswagen will lower the fuel economy ratings on 98,000 vehicles in the United States and reimburse their owners after the Environmental Protection Agency determined the company had overstated its emissions figures.

Reuters reports that approximately 1 million 2013-2017 Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen models had software that caused the transmission to shift gears in a manner that would optimize fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions during EPA-prescribed testing, but not under normal driving conditions.

An investigation from Volkswagen says that it determined the software had lowered the fuel economy rating on roughly 98,000 vehicles in the U.S. by one mile per gallon. The EPA added that Volkswagen, therefore, understated greenhouse gas emissions by about 220,000 metric tons and will forfeit EPA credits as well as those in the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy program.

Among the cars getting lower emissions ratings are certain versions of the Audi A8, Bentley Continental GT, Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg. As part of a court settlement, Volkswagen will reimburse customers $96.5 million, but not all the five model years of said vehicles are covered.

Yahoo reports that lawyers of owners of the affected vehicles will ask a U.S. judge for $26 million in attorney’s fees and costs. This figure, which consists of $23.9 million in fees and $2.1 million in expenses, is separate from the $96.5 million settlement.

 

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Mercedes-Benz fined $1.5 billion for emissions cheating


Automaker Daimler AG and subsidiary Mercedes-Benz USA have agreed to pay $1.5 billion to the U.S. government and California state regulators to resolve allegations they cheated on emissions tests, officials said Monday.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency and the California attorney general's office said Daimler violated environmental laws by using so-called "defeat device software" to circumvent emissions testing. In doing so, the companies sold roughly 250,000 cars and vans between 2009 and 2016 with diesel engines that didn't meet state and federal standards. The settlement, which includes civil penalties and still awaits court approval in Washington, will require Daimler to fix the already sold vehicles.

Daimler AG must repair at least 85% of the affected cars within two years and at least 85% of the affected vans within three years, justice department officials said. The company must also offer extended warranties to drivers on certain vehicle parts and conduct emissions tests on the repaired vehicles each year for the next five years.

"By requiring Daimler to pay a steep penalty, fix its vehicles free of charge, and offset the pollution they caused, today's settlement again demonstrates our commitment to enforcing our nation's environmental laws and protecting Americans from air pollution," said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen in a statement.

A separate class action civil settlement will bring a one-off charge of about $700 million, Daimler AG said. In a statement, the company also said settling the emissions allegations means Daimler does not admit any liability nor will the company have to buy back any of the vehicles in question. As part of Daimler AG's settlement, officials in California will receive $17.5 million for future environmental enforcement.

In April 2016, the justice department asked Daimler to conduct an internal probe into its exhaust emissions certification process. The request came as the EPA began checking all diesel engines after the VW cheating was revealed.

 

[Nomar06]

So where is the money exactly going?

 

[webby]

I’d imagine the epa receives the money from the verdict, since they set the Gov rules that were violated. 17.5 million was allocated specifically for California. Well, and don’t forget all the lawyers that get their chunk.

 

[Nomar06]

What does the epa and Cali do with the money?

 

[webby]

I knew a guy who traveled all over the US from factory to factory to test air quality coming from their air stacks and stuff. They had to be within certain parameters at each site he went to. So he dealt with air quality concerns.

It looks like fines go mostly to dealing with clean water/air according to their previous budget breakdown
==

EPA spends two thirds of its budget on keeping air and water clean. For instance, the agency provided "tools and training to operators of small water utilities to improve resilience in drinking water wastewater and stormwater systems." In fact, the demand for this training "far exceeded expectations so that the original two-year target of training 1,000 operators was increased to 5,000.”


About half of this funding goes state and local government in the form of grants and contracts. For example, last year the agency gave $674,201 to the city of Charlestown, West Virginia, to fund fund protection measures for local groundwater and coastal salt ponds.

About 22% of the EPA's budget goes to paying its own employees.

Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution
Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality
Protecting America’s Waters
Cleaning Up Communities and Advancing Sustainable Development
Protecting Human Health and the Environment by Enforcing Laws and Assuring Compliance

EPA is one of many agencies providing support to the U.S. Coast Guard-led federal response to the BP oil spill. EPA is:

• collecting samples along the shoreline and beyond for chemicals related to oil and dispersants in the air, water and sediment;
• supporting and advising Coast Guard efforts to clean the reclaimed oil and waste from the shoreline; and
• closely monitoring the effects of dispersants in the subsurface environment.

 

[ron v]

What do u think they do with the money? Cmon now.

 

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