Rupert Stadler

Rupert Stadler, ex-chief executive of Audi, has been released from custody, according to a new report from Reuters. The news outlet quotes a Munich court, which confirmed the executive was released on Tuesday. He was arrested in June, after prosecutors raised concerns he was trying to tamper with the ongoing Dieselgate investigation. An appeal for freedom was rejected in August, as the "danger of obstructing justice" still loomed large.

The Audi Q8 may have just launched to sit at the pinnacle of the brand's SUV tree, but there could be a new king of Audi 'Qs' should the market demand it – according to a new report out of the UK. Speaking with Autocar at the reveal of the Q8 (pictured) in Shenzen, China last month, CEO Rupert Stadler (who has since been arrested by German authorities, read up on that here) left the door open for an even more luxurious model.

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.

The speed at which things are changing in the automotive world is at times baffling, and even the heads of some of the most successful companies on the planet are trying to keep up. Audi chairman of the board Rupert Stadler, for instance, told CarAdvice at the 2017 Geneva motor show that he feels things are changing faster now than ever before in the industry.

Audi is looking to an electrified future, with the luxury marque’s CEO revealing it aims to have three fully-electric models on the market by the end of the decade. Last week a source within Audi told Reuters the company is planning for electric vehicles (EVs) to account for a quarter of its sales by 2025.