Volkswagen Group Massive Emissions Fraud Scheme

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Via GCC:
Volkswagen, VW-branded franchise dealers in US reach agreement in principle to resolve diesel litigation
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/08/20160825-vw.html

. . . Volkswagen has agreed to make cash payments and provide additional benefits to the dealers to resolve alleged past, current and future claims of losses in franchise value. Volkswagen and the dealers’ counsel will now work to finalize details of the proposed settlement, including how to apportion payments to dealers in the appropriate manner. . . .
 
Via GCR:
First Volkswagen engineer pleads guilty to diesel emission fraud
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1106036_first-volkswagen-engineer-pleads-guilty-to-diesel-emission-fraud

. . . The engineer, James Liang, entered his plea in Detroit federal court Friday, his lawyer saying that Liang was "one of many at Volkswagen" involved in the fraud. He spent 25 years working for Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Germany, before moving to the U.S. in 2008 to become the company's U.S. head of "Diesel Competence."

Liang is cooperating with the emissions probe, which should put more pressure on higher-level VW officials, according to Bloomberg. . . .

"I know VW did not disclose the defeat device to U.S. regulators in order to sell cars in the U.S.," Liang told a judge Friday. . . .

Even after VW deployed the "defeat device" without attracting attention from regulators, engineers faced another issue in keeping the illegal software a secret. At one point, warranty claims related to emissions-control systems began to rise. Some of Liang's colleagues believed this was related to cars operating in the low-emission mode meant only for laboratory tests. So in 2014 the engineers updated the software, issuing a service campaign and telling customers it was for something unrelated.

Liang pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud against U.S. regulators and Volkswagen customers, and to violate the Clean Air Act. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss. Liang is to be sentenced January 11, 2017.
As he's cooperating and the Justice Department is undoubtedly aiming at bigger fish, any bets on what he'll get? I'll ante: Six months in jail with three months suspended, 1,000 hours of community service, and a full value fine.

Also GCR:
Study suggests every European diesel maker cheated on EU tests
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1106014_study-suggests-every-european-diesel-maker-cheated-on-eu-tests
 
There's a lot of innen Fußball in this report on who knew what and when at VW Audi.

But there are suggestions that most all of the senior executives at VW/Audi knew, and very early on...
Audi, "The Mother Of All Dieselgate Cheating," Keeps Its Oblivious CEO Rupert Stadler

...As early as 2007, said Sueddeutsche, an Audi engineer wrote an email to “a large circle of managers of the automaker,” stating that “without cheating” the strict U.S. rules for hazardous nitrous oxides could not be met. Actually, the engineer used the robust language common in Bavaria, and wrote that he could not comply with rules “ohne Bescheissen,” literally “without shitting” the regulator...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmitt/2016/09/24/audi-the-mother-of-all-dieselgate-cheating-keeps-its-oblivious-ceo-rupert-stadler/2/#54df352f1fb6
 
Bertel Schmitt summarizes the news from Deutschland, as the action heated up last week due to an impending legal deadline:


Winterkorn Behind Dieselgate Coverup, New Docs Suggest

... In recent days, German courts have been flooded with lawsuits by investors who claim they lost billions when the company’s shares crashed. To beat a one year statute of limitations, “fax machines overheated” at German courts a week ago, Bloomberg said. One German law firm delivered more than 5,000 complaints by truck. The claimants allege that Volkswagen violated the “ad-hoc” rule requiring the speedy release of findings that might impact the value of a company’s shares...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmitt/2016/09/25/winterkorn-behind-dieselgate-coverup-new-docs-suggest/#2545ee8c6da7
 
I LOLed at this.
Disgruntled Diesel VW Owners Are Stripping Their Cars Before Turning Them In
http://jalopnik.com/disgruntled-diesel-vw-owners-are-stripping-their-cars-b-1790053005

If I were in this situation and it's apparently allowed, I'd probably do this too. Could earn a little extra cash on the side.
 
cwerdna said:
I LOLed at this.
Disgruntled Diesel VW Owners Are Stripping Their Cars Before Turning Them In
http://jalopnik.com/disgruntled-diesel-vw-owners-are-stripping-their-cars-b-1790053005

If I were in this situation and it's apparently allowed, I'd probably do this too. Could earn a little extra cash on the side.
That's hilarious. A co-worker of mine has one, we talked about this. A lot of parts are going to be useless on other cars, and clearly draining newer oil and putting in old oil is a silly waste of time and effort, but nice wheels and tires in good shape are a no brainer. And minor collision damage? Fuggedaboutit.
 
This makes it even more interesting:
According to the buyback terms specified in the EPA’s Consent Decree, the only requirement related to vehicle condition is that the car has to be “operable,” a word defined by the court as:

“Operable” means that a vehicle so described can be driven under its own 2.0-liter TDI engine power. A vehicle is not Operable if it had a branded title of “Assembled,” “Dismantled,” “Flood,” “Junk,” “Rebuilt,” “Reconstructed,” or “Salvaged” as of September 18, 2015, and was acquired by any person or entity from a junkyard or salvaged after September 18, 2015.
The way I read that I just has to move under its own power and didn't have any of those title "brandings" on that date.
 
On the one side we have Trump supporters, on the other side we have "VW=anti-environmental company" ideology supporters.
If I add those up I get a massive overlap. This means either people don't understand Trump or what the heck VW did.

What VW did is bad in many ways but environmental is not one of those.
Ask opinion from real scientists, don't judge/decide according to hungry political/journalistic industry conviction+persuasion.

This is why Elon Musk, a guy who doesn't like oil industry, supported much more rational penalty for VW we all could benefit from.

It is pretty common for US citizens to be so insanely barbarous on many things, especially foreign products.
GM ignition vs Dieselgate - compare reaction, punishment and persistence to enforce that punishment.
 
I wonder if this is really true and that the loopholes exist that allow for this to happen.

How Car Dealers Are Screwing Volkswagen Owners:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/car-dealers-screwing-volkswagen-owners-190221457.html
 
cwerdna said:
I wonder if this is really true and that the loopholes exist that allow for this to happen.

How Car Dealers Are Screwing Volkswagen Owners:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/car-dealers-screwing-volkswagen-owners-190221457.html
The article reads like sensationalist garbage. The car owner decided to sell his car to a dealer rather than return it to VW. I don't know if the sell occurred before the VW court case was decided, but it does not matter: the first owner chose his move and it ended up being the not most profitable way.

It could have worked out differently, that the owner collected $10k from the dealer for a car no one would buy. For all we know the first owner tried to sell it on the private market and failed, and then dumped it at the dealer and figured he had done a good day's work .... until he found out that a buyback would have been more money.

My only question would be whether the buyback program was already in action when the purchase happened, and whether VW car dealers are mandated to disclose the program to car owners who come in to sell the involved cars.
 
Via ABG:
VW will pay $200 million in 3.0-liter TDI V6 engine emissions settlement
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/12/16/volkswagen-tdi-v6-emissions-settlement/

As reported by Reuters, Volkswagen AG has agreed to pay roughly 200 million dollars to offset the emissions produced by the 3.0 TDI V6 engines in the US. About 85,000 of Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles were sold in the United States with the mentioned turbodiesel engine that has been found to have been fitted with a so-called defeat device. These include the VW Touareg, Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne sport utility vehicles.

VW is expected to formally announce the settlement Friday. . . .
 
cwerdna said:
I LOLed at this.
Disgruntled Diesel VW Owners Are Stripping Their Cars Before Turning Them In
http://jalopnik.com/disgruntled-diesel-vw-owners-are-stripping-their-cars-b-1790053005
This VW Diesel Owner Is About To Turn In A Completely Stripped Car:
http://jalopnik.com/this-vw-diesel-owner-is-about-to-turn-in-a-completely-s-1790289804

I wonder if it'll be accepted.
 
Via GCC:
Volkswagen reaches agreement with US and California on 3.0L diesels; $225M to environmental remediation, $25M to CA ZEV
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2016/12/20161220-vw.html

. . .Under the terms of the proposed Consent Decree, Volkswagen has agreed to:

  • Recall approximately 63,000 affected 2013-2016 Model Year Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche 3.0L TDI V6 vehicles with Generation 2 engines to bring them into compliance with the emissions standards to which they were certified, if appropriate modifications are approved by EPA and CARB. If Volkswagen is unable to meet this requirement, it will offer to buy back or terminate the leases of these vehicles and may also seek approval by EPA and CARB to offer customers a modification to substantially reduce their NOx emissions.

    Buy back or terminate the leases of approximately 20,000 affected 2009-2012 Model Year Volkswagen and Audi 3.0L TDI V6 vehicles with Generation 1 engines or, if approved by EPA and CARB, modify the vehicles to substantially reduce their NOx emissions so as to allow eligible owners and lessees to keep them.

    Contribute $225 million to the environmental remediation trust that is being established under Volkswagen’s 2.0L TDI settlements in the United States to fully mitigate the lifetime NOx emissions of the affected 3.0L TDI V6 vehicles.

    As part of its agreement with the State of California, Volkswagen will also pay $25 million to CARB to support the use of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in the State. . . .
 
cwerdna said:
This VW Diesel Owner Is About To Turn In A Completely Stripped Car:
http://jalopnik.com/this-vw-diesel-owner-is-about-to-turn-in-a-completely-s-1790289804

I wonder if it'll be accepted.
VW is currently balking on this stripped car.
http://jalopnik.com/volkswagen-refuses-to-buy-back-the-stripped-out-car-rig-1790345158
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
cwerdna said:
I LOLed at this.
Disgruntled Diesel VW Owners Are Stripping Their Cars Before Turning Them In
http://jalopnik.com/disgruntled-diesel-vw-owners-are-stripping-their-cars-b-1790053005

If I were in this situation and it's apparently allowed, I'd probably do this too. Could earn a little extra cash on the side.
That's hilarious. A co-worker of mine has one, we talked about this. A lot of parts are going to be useless on other cars, and clearly draining newer oil and putting in old oil is a silly waste of time and effort, but nice wheels and tires in good shape are a no brainer. And minor collision damage? Fuggedaboutit.

An incredibly selfish and ungrateful thing to do.
I have a 2013 Jetta TDI that I bought new four years ago. It has 32,000 miles on it and is literally like new. It is a wonderful car and I love it, but VW is offering me a thousand dollars more in buy back than I paid for it new, so I am selling it back.
Even thought it is going into the crusher, I will turn it back in essentially the same condition it was when new.
Why be petty?
 
craig said:
LTLFTcomposite said:
cwerdna said:
I LOLed at this.
Disgruntled Diesel VW Owners Are Stripping Their Cars Before Turning Them In
http://jalopnik.com/disgruntled-diesel-vw-owners-are-stripping-their-cars-b-1790053005

If I were in this situation and it's apparently allowed, I'd probably do this too. Could earn a little extra cash on the side.
That's hilarious. A co-worker of mine has one, we talked about this. A lot of parts are going to be useless on other cars, and clearly draining newer oil and putting in old oil is a silly waste of time and effort, but nice wheels and tires in good shape are a no brainer. And minor collision damage? Fuggedaboutit.

An incredibly selfish and ungrateful thing to do.
I have a 2013 Jetta TDI that I bought new four years ago. It has 32,000 miles on it and is literally like new. It is a wonderful car and I love it, but VW is offering me a thousand dollars more in buy back than I paid for it new, so I am selling it back.
Even thought it is going into the crusher, I will turn it back in essentially the same condition it was when new.
Why be petty?

Totally agree. This is probably a good indication of how he also conducts business. If he is a car sales guy then I would defintely avoid someone like this. This is probably how we was brought up, use and abuse and be on the edge of what he can get away with instead of what is right. Everyone has to live their own lives I guess. Hope he doesn't have kids because they will be the same way. Sad.
 
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