Audi CEO, Rupert Stadler, has been detained by German police over matters relating to the (seemingly never-ending) Dieselgate saga...
Germany has fined the Volkswagen Group €1 billion ($1.5 billion) for cheating its way past emissions bench tests, as part of the long-running Dieselgate The fine was imposed by the Braunschweig (a city in Lower Saxony, Germany) public prosecutor, which is investigating the Volkswagen Group over the (seemingly never-ending) Dieselgate saga...
Daimler AG, parent of Mercedes-Benz has been forced to recall around 774,000 vehicles across its C-Class, GLC and Vito model lines in Europe, after being accused by German authorities of fitting emissions defeat devices in certain diesel models...
UPDATE: Daimler's statement in response to the recall order affecting 1.6-litre diesel variants of the Vito van, has been added to this article. Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, could be facing an investigation from German authorities due to suspected use of emissions-cheating software in its diesel engines...
A new emissions-testing cheat device has been discovered on one version of the 3.0-litre V6 TDI fitted to the outgoing Audi A6 and Audi A7 models. Der Spiegel has learnt Germany's Motor Transport Authority (KBA) is investigating one of the diesel engines used in the now-usurped Audi A6 and A7 ranges for a suspected emissions-testing cheat device...
Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the Volkswagen Group at the time the Dieselgate scandal erupted into public view, has been indicted on four charges in the United States. The US indictment against Winterkorn was actually filed in secret in March, and was only revealed this week by the Detroit district court as the Volkswagen Group held its annual general meeting in Germany...
At an event after its annual general meeting, Bosch announced a new diesel engine technology that reportedly slashes oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. The engineering and automotive parts supplier claims vehicles equipped with this new technology can hit NOx output figures as low as 13mg per kilometre, with test vehicle averaging 40mg/km...
Joerg Kerner, head of powertrain development at Porsche, has reportedly been arrested by German prosecutors investigating the Dieselgate emissions cheating affair. A source has informed Reuters Kerner was taken into custody on Thursday, European time, and is being held as a flight risk. The offices of Audi and Porsche were raided by German authorities earlier this week...
Matthias Mueller, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, could be replaced by as soon as this Friday, if a report out of Germany proves to be correct. According to Handelsblatt, current Mueller will be removed from his role as CEO, even though his contract runs until 2020...
BMW facilities in Austria and Germany have been searched by prosecutors in search of defeat devices. According to a report in Automotive News, around 100 police and law enforcement officials raided the brand's Munich HQ and its engine plant in Steyr, Austria. Prosecutors told the outlet "there is an early suspicion that BMW has used a test bench-related defeat device", in a statement...
March 12, 2018: Testing carried out on a single Volkswagen vehicle has revealed an increase in fuel use since it was given a software update in 2017 for the so-called 'Dieselgate' emissions scandal...
UPDATE: Porsche has released an updated statement, which has been added to the end of the article. Porsche has ended production of the Macan S Diesel and Panamera 4S Diesel, but reports of diesel's demise could be premature. An overnight report from Autocar said the company would stop building its last two diesel models, as part of a "cultural shift" toward plug-in hybrid vehicles...
Volkswagen has suspended Thomas Steg, chief lobbyist, over emissions tests partially funded by the car maker, which are said to have involved monkeys breathing in air with diesel fumes. "We are currently in the process of investigating the work of the EUGT, which was dissolved in 2017, and drawing all the necessary consequences...
In a report by The New York Times, court documents are said to confirm caged monkeys were exposed to diesel emissions for hours during tests in 2014, in an attempt to challenge a World Health Organisation (WHO) classification of diesel particulates, or 'soot', as a carcinogen...
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has entered talks with diesel owners and the US Department of Justice, as the parties near settlement over cars fitted with emissions defeat devices. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a lawsuit against FCA in May this year, arguing the company used a 'defeat device' in 104,000 Ram 1500 pickup trucks and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs fitted with the 3...
Audi has ditched plans to sell Ducati, electing instead to keep the motorcycle division. Rupert Stadler, CEO of Audi, confirmed to Reuters and other news outlets: "I can assure you that Ducati belongs to the Audi family. Ducati is the perfect implementation of our premium philosophy in the world of motorbikes...
Oliver Schmidt, a former Volkswagen executive, has been sentenced to seven years jail for his role in the Dieselgate emissions cheating scheme. Schmidt agreed to a plea deal in October this year, and was officially given the maximum penalty this week: a seven year jail term and a US$400,000 ($525,000) fine...
Authorities in the US have reportedly approved a fix for around 38,000 vehicles fitted with the Volkswagen Group 3.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine as part of the Dieselgate emissions scandal. According to reports from the United States, a letter made public earlier this week says VW Group brands have been approved to make hardware and software changes to vehicles fitted with the 3...
Activists from Greenpeace in the UK have conducted a publicity stunt against Volkswagen as the group attempts to turn people away from diesel cars in the wake of the company’s ongoing emissions cheating scandal. A claimed 25 volunteers in kayaks and boats surrounded the 23,000-tonne cargo ship Elbe Highway, delivering German-made Euro 6-compliant VW diesels (and plug-in hybrid petrol-electric cars) into the UK...
The Frankfurt motor show is big. It’s like if they took Sydney’s international and domestic airports, tripled it in size, took away any form of cohesive internal transport and put lots of cars in it. Even then, I think the Frankfurt show is bigger. Every two years when I attend the show I always vow that next time, I will actually see things...
