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-   -   Volkswagen - What's got into you??? (http://www.politicalchat.org/showthread.php?t=9635)

HarmanKardon 09-21-2015 04:03 AM

Volkswagen - What's got into you???
 
Dear Americans!


Buy American!

Yours sincerely,



Rudolf Diesel

donquixote99 09-21-2015 08:13 AM

"Corporate ethics" is an oxymoron.

finnbow 09-21-2015 08:46 AM

Quite a surprise from VW. Their TDI engines do indeed get fantastic performance and mileage (I rented an Audi A4 TDI on my recent visit to Germany). Now, the reason behind it becomes clear. Hopefully, BMW and Daimler didn't do the same thing.

bobabode 09-21-2015 10:48 AM

The number I've seen thrown around was for a fine of $13 billion. :eek:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...921-story.html

"Volkswagen shares tumbled almost 20% Monday, a day after the company's chief executive apologized for having “broken the trust” of its customers for evading U.S. emissions regulations." LATimes

Rajoo 09-21-2015 11:27 AM

I have seen fines quoted as high as $18 Billion in Europe but that's only a guestimate at this time. Potential financial damage to the company from lawsuits will add to this number; one class action lawsuit is already in the works.

Seems like VW has already admitted to their guilt informally and have suspended the sales of their TDI models in the US. Mind boggling that a company of VW's stature worldwide has to cheat with their emission controls which eventually would have come to light anyway. What were they thinking? this is like cheating on taxes that would not stand up to an audit.

My last two VW's were 1971 & 1975 so I have no recent experience with VW cars.

HarmanKardon 09-21-2015 01:08 PM

All I can say is that this story is painfully embarrassing. Volkswagen does not need to do such a CRIMINAL OFFENCE - actually it is nothing else but this. Mr. Winterkorn - clear up your company!

Pio1980 09-21-2015 01:47 PM

Why the hell would they risk it??
I'd assume someone in upper management somehow made a killing off it before retiring. Then it was someone else's problem.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

BlueStreak 09-21-2015 03:40 PM

Ha, Ha, Ha..........!

Follow the money trail, it will lead directly to the guilty parties. Let me guess; It's rich corporate executives. Not "big government" or "liberals" or "unions" or "environmentalists" or garden gnomes or the devil...........

It's just greedy business people f**king up, once again. Surprise, surprise!

(Walks away shaking his head.)

ebacon 09-21-2015 06:21 PM

This kind of situation exposes the difficulty of regulating technological advancement.

I have experience in gasoline engine controls (as opposed to diesel, which is what VW is dealing with.)

There are several layers to "regulations". First, there is the law. Second, there are regulations that implement the law. Third, there are procedures that implement the regulations.

Information gets smeared as the knife of progress cuts through that regulatory cake. In the gasoline world I recall government employees getting admonished for relaxing requirements on engine controls. The fact was that the government employees at the ground level were just as smart as we were. In our minds we were merging with the law as fast as we could, and in good faith. Unfortunately our cops got in trouble for working with us.

Did they do wrong? I don't think so. But then again they only got their wrists slapped for dancing with us. No one wants to punish dancers for trying.

IMO a big question in the VW case was whether the US diesel employees had enough time to learn to dance with US diesel regulators. US diesel has always been an under-funded bastard child. IMO, @ $18B, VW is being charged an unconscionable rate for learning to dance in the US.

At the same time we need to recognize that US automakers stayed out of US diesel because the rules were too hard. We were honest.

I think VW needs to understand that writing cheater software will not be tolerated, but at the same time our regulators need to make VW feel comfortable enough to admit difficulties and work with them at phasing in solutions.

None of us want to make a mess of the planet. We all live here.

bobabode 09-21-2015 07:02 PM

US paid out $51,000,000.00 in fees for these cars.
http://www.latimes.com/business/auto...922-story.html


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