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UPDATE: 3pm, 14 January, 2016Renault has confirmed that fraud investigators have carried out "material investigations" at three sites, in order to confirm findings from an independent technical commission.That technical commission was established in order to verify that French car manufacturers have not installed so-called defeat devices" in their cars, in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The French Homologation Authority is currently testing 100 vehicles, including 25 Renault cars. In a statement, Renault said the agency for energy and climate "already considers the on-going procedure would not reveal the presence of a defeat device on Renault vehicles".In line with this on-going investigation, Renault said the DGCCRF went to its HQ, the Renault Technical Centre in Lardy and the Technocentre in Guyancourt."Renault"s teams are fully cooperating with the independent technical commission and the additional investigations decided by the Ministry of Economy," the company said.Reports of the investigations however, have sent Renault shares tumbling, by as much as 20 per cent.UPDATE: 10am, 14 January, 2016The California Air Resources Board has rejected Volkswagen Group of America"s submitted recall plan for its 2.0-litre diesel engine, on cars sold in the state between 2009 and 2015.In a statement, CARB said it is to continue its "investigation and technical evaluations with EPA, in order to return the vehicles to legally required emission levels, determine mitigation for past and future environmental harm, and assess penalties".They said VW"s recall plan fell short in a number of areas including the proposed plans containing gaps and lacking sufficient detail, the descriptions of proposed repairs lack enough information for a technical evaluation, and that the proposals do not adequately address overall impacts on vehicle performance, emissions and safety.CARB is due to receive the recall plan for VW"s 3.0-litre diesel engine on 2 February 2016.CARB chair Mary D Nichols said: "Volkswagen made a decision to cheat on emissions tests and then tried to cover it up. They continued and compounded the lie and when they were caught they tried to deny it. The result is thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide that have harmed the health of Californians. They need to make it right. Today"s action is a step in the direction of assuring that will happen."UPDATE: 4pm, 4 NovemberFollowing yesterday"s announcement by the EPA of a second notice of violation issued with regard to the VW Group"s 3.0-litre diesel V6 engine, Porsche has announced it will stop selling the Cayenne diesel in the US.In a short statement, the company said: "Porsche Cars North America, Inc. today decided, in view of the unexpected U.S. EPA notice received yesterday, to voluntarily discontinue sales of model year 2014 through 2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel vehicles until further notice. We are working intensively to resolve this matter as soon as possible. Customers may continue to operate their vehicles normally."UPDATE: 1pm, 4 NovemberAs VW"s new guard deepens its investigation, the revelations keep emerging. Today"s big story is that petrol cars are now implicated, and CO2 claims far more important to us than the NOx levels that this scandal has so far revolved around have also been set too low" during official testing. This means everyday running costs are being dragged into the debate fully for the first time."During the course of internal investigations, irregularities were found when determining type approval CO2 levels," reads a VW statement. "Based on present knowledge around 800,000 vehicles from the Volkswagen Group could be affected. An initial estimate puts the economic risks at approximately two billion euros."Yep. This latest sting could cost VW an additional 1.5billion."Under the ongoing review of all processes and workflows in connection with diesel engines," the statement continues, "it was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process. The majority of the vehicles concerned have diesel engines."That last line is key it implicates petrol engines in the VW emissions scandal for the first time. Though don"t expect the clunky dieselgate" tag to be discarded anytime soonUPDATE: 2pm, 3 NovemberThe US Environmental Protection Agency has alleged that the VW Group"s 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine has also been installed with a defeat device".The EPA said a second Notice Of Violation (NOV) of the Clean Air Act is being issued to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America, Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America."The NOV alleges that VW developed and installed a defeat device in certain VW, Audi and Porsche light duty diesel vehicles equipped with 3.0-litre engines for model years 2014 through 2016 that increases emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) up to nine times EPA"s standard," said the EPA.Affected models include the 2014 VW Touareg, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne, and 2016 models of the Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5."The NOV covers approximately 10,000 diesel passenger cars already sold in the US since 2014," the statement continues. "In addition, the NOV covers an unknown volume of 2016 vehicles."In a statement released today, Volkswagen said: "The United States EPA informed Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft on Monday that vehicles with V6 TDI engines had a software function which had not been adequately described in the application process."Volkswagen AG wishes to emphasise that no software has been installed in the 3.0-litre V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner."Volkswagen will cooperate fully with the EPA to clarify this matter in its entirety," VW added.UPDATE: 2pm, 8 OctoberThe unfortunate revelations show no sign of abating. Volkswagen"s US boss, Michael Horn, has today admitted he was informed that some VW diesels did not comply with emissions regulations in early 2014, around 18 months before the scandal broke.<br /> <br />"In the spring of 2014 when the West Virginia University study was published, I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied," reads part of Horn"s testimony to the US House of Representatives investigating VW.<br /> <br />"I was informed that EPA regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include defeat device" testing or analysis. I was also informed that the company engineers would work with the agencies to resolve the issue."<br /> <br />Horn"s testimony goes on to outline five steps the company is taking to remedy the situation, the final one being "regular and open communication", something a number of customers and commenters have accused VW of lacking.<br /> <br />Horn apologises for the scandal twice in his testimony, and makes pledges to rectify VW"s standing.<br /> <br />"We are determined to make things right. This includes accepting the consequences of our acts, providing a remedy, and beginning to restore the trust of our customers, dealerships, employees, the regulators, and the American public.<br /> <br />"We will rebuild the reputation of a company that more than two million people worldwide, including dealers and suppliers, rely upon for their livelihoods."<br /> <br />This week has also seen VW gain a new chairman - Hans Dieter Poetsch moving into the role while company chiefs have confirmed recalls for affected cars are likely to last the whole of 2016, the first cars being fixed in the new year.UPDATE: 2pm, 6 OctoberThe fallout from Volkswagen"s emissions scandal continues. Today new CEO Matthias Muller who arrived from Porsche to replace Martin Winterkorn addressed VW employees at the company"s headquarters."We will review all planned investments, and what isn"t absolutely vital will be cancelled or delayed," Muller told staff. With VW"s research and development budget the world"s largest last year at close to 12 billion it appears the natural place to find the cash likely needed to pay potentially large fines, as well as the outlay needed to fix the 11 million affected cars.This is, potentially, dark news for any exciting projects the VW Group has in the pipeline. After all, the company that his given us some brilliantly innovative stuff in recent years, the XL1 and the Bugatti Veyron among the more glorious results of its R&D drive.VW scandal: the big questions answeredStuff like the XL Sport, a VW Group F1 entry, and even replacements for esoteric products like the Phaeton could fall into the what isn"t absolutely vital" category. Only time will tell exactly what is affected."Our most important task will be to regain lost confidence with our customers, partners, investors and the general public," said Muller. "Only when everything comes to the table, only when things are completely explained, only then will people trust us again."Believe me, I too am impatient. But in this situation, in which we are dealing with four brands [VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda] and many models, care is more important than speed."Technical fixes for engines fitted with the cheat code are close, and will vary between simple software tweaks and hardware swaps. In the meantime, VW owners in the UK can find out if their car is affected by inputting their VIN to this official website.Volkswagen"s UK sales in September look to have stayed strong, with the Golf and Polo the fourth and fifth best-selling cars respectively. Though with the scandal breaking towards the end of the month, October"s figures may be a better indicator of any damage to public opinion.UPDATE: 12pm, 30 SeptemberThe Volkswagen Group has announced that nearly 1.2 million cars in the UK have been affected by the emissions scandal.In a statement released today, the Group confirmed that the owners of 1,189,906 cars in the UK will be notified to get "their vehicles corrected in the near future". A fix is currently being developed that"ll be presented to the responsible authorities" before the end of October.They are made up as follows:Volkswagen passenger cars: 508,276<br />Audi: 393,450<br />Skoda: 131,569<br />Volkswagen commercial vehicles: 79,838<br />Seat: 76,773"Customers with these vehicles will be kept informed over the coming weeks and months," said Volkswagen. "All of the Group brands affected will set up national websites to update customers on developments."VW also pointed out that all petrol engines, as well as the V6 and V8 diesel engines, are unaffected.UPDATE: 4pm, 28 SeptemberUp to 2.1 million Audi vehicles worldwide could be dragged into the Volkswagen emissions scandal.According to Reuters, model lines including the A1, A3, A4, A5, A6, TT, Q3 and Q5 are affected by the so-called defeat device".The report also adds that ousted Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn is to be investigated by German prosecutors over allegations of fraud in the sale of cars with manipulated emissions data".UPDATE: 7pm, 25 SeptemberPorsche boss Matthias Muller is to be the new CEO of Volkswagen, the beleaguered German giant today announced.Muller replaces Martin Winterkorn, who stood down earlier this week in the wake of the US emissions scandal. In a statement, the 62-year-old German vowed to leave no stone unturned" in investigating how some 11 million diesels were fitted with a defeat device" allowing them to cheat official NOx tests."My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group, by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency," said Muller. "Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringest compliance and governance standards in our industry. If we manage to achieve that, then the Volkswagen Group [] has the opportunity to emerge from the crisis stronger than before."Muller"s career started at Audi in 1977, becoming product chief of the German brand in 1995. He was placed in charge of Audi and Lamborghini model lines in 2002, and by 2007 was given responsibility for product strategy across the entire VW Group by Winterkorn.At the same time as appointing Muller to the top job, the VW Group announced sweeping changes across its management. Seat chairman Jurgen Stackmann becomes VW"s sales and marketing boss, with Audi"s sales and marketing chief Luca de Meo moving to replace him.Despite speculation he would be dismissed, Michael Horn, president and CEO of the VW Group in the USA, will retain his job.It was also announced that the Group would form a new Porsche brand group" incorporating Bugatti and Bentley, with Wolfgang Durheimer looking likely to become its boss. Lamborghini, however, won"t form part of this group utilising the sports car and mid-engined toolkit", instead continuing to share a stable with Ducati.UPDATE: 2:30pm, 24 SeptemberVolkswagen group cars in Europe are also implicated in the emissions scandal, it has been confirmed. German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt revealed a government commission investigating the scandal had been told by VW executives that "vehicles in Europe with 1.6 and 2.0 litre diesel engines were also affected by the manipulations". The additional engine draws in more models to the scandal.Dobrindt added: "We will therefore continue to work intensively, together with Volkswagen, to find out exactly which vehicles are involved, in order to inform the public further".He also confirmed that spot-checks are being carried out on cars made by other manufacturers.UPDATE: 5pm, 23 SeptemberTopGear.com"s industry analyst Paul Horrell has weighed in on Winterkorn"s resignation."Winterkorn says he is shocked by the wrongdoing, and that he didn"t know about it at the time," writes our man PH. "Either those very close to the top knew about the cheating, or else they ran a company whose culture was dysfunctional."The German media is touting Matthias Muller, Porsche boss, as a replacement for Winterkorn. But Muller is an Audi and VW lifer who was responsible for product strategy for all VW Group brands up to 2010."Read the rest of Paul"s analysis hereUPDATE: 4:30pm, 23 SeptemberVolkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has announced his resignation.In an official statement released today, the 68-year old head of the beleaguered car company said he would be leaving to make way for a fresh start, following news that VW admitted to a code in its diesel engine software that skewed emissions."I am shocked by the events of the past few days," he said. "Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group."As CEO I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group. I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrong doing on my part."Volkswagen needs a fresh start also on terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation," he said.Volkswagen has not named a successor, but German media suggests Matthias Muller, boss of Porsche, is the favoured candidate.Regulators in America have charged VW with cheating emissions tests, a charge affecting nearly half a million cars sold over the past seven years.The problem centres around a code buried within Volkswagen"s 2.0-litre diesel engine software. The code detects when it is being driven on an emissions test cycle, and turns on its full controls. The controls are reduced elsewhere, emitting more NOx.The big VW emissions scandal: your questions answered
Date written: 14 Jan 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 1726
UPDATE: 3pm, 14 January, 2016Renault has confirmed that fraud investigators have carried out "material investigations" at three sites, in order to confirm findings from an independent technical commission.That technical commission was established in order to verify that French car manufacturers have not installed so-called defeat devices" in their cars, in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The French Homologation Authority is currently testing 100 vehicles, including 25 Renault cars. In a statement, Renault said the agency for energy and climate "already considers the on-going procedure would not reveal the presence of a defeat device on Renault vehicles".In line with this on-going investigation, Renault said the DGCCRF went to its HQ, the Renault Technical Centre in Lardy and the Technocentre in Guyancourt."Renault"s teams are fully cooperating with the independent technical commission and the additional investigations decided by the Ministry of Economy," the company said.Reports of the investigations however, have sent Renault shares tumbling, by as much as 20 per cent.UPDATE: 10am, 14 January, 2016The California Air Resources Board has rejected Volkswagen Group of America"s submitted recall plan for its 2.0-litre diesel engine, on cars sold in the state between 2009 and 2015.In a statement, CARB said it is to continue its "investigation and technical evaluations with EPA, in order to return the vehicles to legally required emission levels, determine mitigation for past and future environmental harm, and assess penalties".They said VW"s recall plan fell short in a number of areas including the proposed plans containing gaps and lacking sufficient detail, the descriptions of proposed repairs lack enough information for a technical evaluation, and that the proposals do not adequately address overall impacts on vehicle performance, emissions and safety.CARB is due to receive the recall plan for VW"s 3.0-litre diesel engine on 2 February 2016.CARB chair Mary D Nichols said: "Volkswagen made a decision to cheat on emissions tests and then tried to cover it up. They continued and compounded the lie and when they were caught they tried to deny it. The result is thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide that have harmed the health of Californians. They need to make it right. Today"s action is a step in the direction of assuring that will happen."UPDATE: 4pm, 4 NovemberFollowing yesterday"s announcement by the EPA of a second notice of violation issued with regard to the VW Group"s 3.0-litre diesel V6 engine, Porsche has announced it will stop selling the Cayenne diesel in the US.In a short statement, the company said: "Porsche Cars North America, Inc. today decided, in view of the unexpected U.S. EPA notice received yesterday, to voluntarily discontinue sales of model year 2014 through 2016 Porsche Cayenne Diesel vehicles until further notice. We are working intensively to resolve this matter as soon as possible. Customers may continue to operate their vehicles normally."UPDATE: 1pm, 4 NovemberAs VW"s new guard deepens its investigation, the revelations keep emerging. Today"s big story is that petrol cars are now implicated, and CO2 claims far more important to us than the NOx levels that this scandal has so far revolved around have also been set too low" during official testing. This means everyday running costs are being dragged into the debate fully for the first time."During the course of internal investigations, irregularities were found when determining type approval CO2 levels," reads a VW statement. "Based on present knowledge around 800,000 vehicles from the Volkswagen Group could be affected. An initial estimate puts the economic risks at approximately two billion euros."Yep. This latest sting could cost VW an additional 1.5billion."Under the ongoing review of all processes and workflows in connection with diesel engines," the statement continues, "it was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process. The majority of the vehicles concerned have diesel engines."That last line is key it implicates petrol engines in the VW emissions scandal for the first time. Though don"t expect the clunky dieselgate" tag to be discarded anytime soonUPDATE: 2pm, 3 NovemberThe US Environmental Protection Agency has alleged that the VW Group"s 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine has also been installed with a defeat device".The EPA said a second Notice Of Violation (NOV) of the Clean Air Act is being issued to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Volkswagen Group of America, Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America."The NOV alleges that VW developed and installed a defeat device in certain VW, Audi and Porsche light duty diesel vehicles equipped with 3.0-litre engines for model years 2014 through 2016 that increases emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) up to nine times EPA"s standard," said the EPA.Affected models include the 2014 VW Touareg, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne, and 2016 models of the Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5."The NOV covers approximately 10,000 diesel passenger cars already sold in the US since 2014," the statement continues. "In addition, the NOV covers an unknown volume of 2016 vehicles."In a statement released today, Volkswagen said: "The United States EPA informed Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft on Monday that vehicles with V6 TDI engines had a software function which had not been adequately described in the application process."Volkswagen AG wishes to emphasise that no software has been installed in the 3.0-litre V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner."Volkswagen will cooperate fully with the EPA to clarify this matter in its entirety," VW added.UPDATE: 2pm, 8 OctoberThe unfortunate revelations show no sign of abating. Volkswagen"s US boss, Michael Horn, has today admitted he was informed that some VW diesels did not comply with emissions regulations in early 2014, around 18 months before the scandal broke.<br /> <br />"In the spring of 2014 when the West Virginia University study was published, I was told that there was a possible emissions non-compliance that could be remedied," reads part of Horn"s testimony to the US House of Representatives investigating VW.<br /> <br />"I was informed that EPA regulations included various penalties for non-compliance with the emissions standards and that the agencies can conduct engineering tests which could include defeat device" testing or analysis. I was also informed that the company engineers would work with the agencies to resolve the issue."<br /> <br />Horn"s testimony goes on to outline five steps the company is taking to remedy the situation, the final one being "regular and open communication", something a number of customers and commenters have accused VW of lacking.<br /> <br />Horn apologises for the scandal twice in his testimony, and makes pledges to rectify VW"s standing.<br /> <br />"We are determined to make things right. This includes accepting the consequences of our acts, providing a remedy, and beginning to restore the trust of our customers, dealerships, employees, the regulators, and the American public.<br /> <br />"We will rebuild the reputation of a company that more than two million people worldwide, including dealers and suppliers, rely upon for their livelihoods."<br /> <br />This week has also seen VW gain a new chairman - Hans Dieter Poetsch moving into the role while company chiefs have confirmed recalls for affected cars are likely to last the whole of 2016, the first cars being fixed in the new year.UPDATE: 2pm, 6 OctoberThe fallout from Volkswagen"s emissions scandal continues. Today new CEO Matthias Muller who arrived from Porsche to replace Martin Winterkorn addressed VW employees at the company"s headquarters."We will review all planned investments, and what isn"t absolutely vital will be cancelled or delayed," Muller told staff. With VW"s research and development budget the world"s largest last year at close to 12 billion it appears the natural place to find the cash likely needed to pay potentially large fines, as well as the outlay needed to fix the 11 million affected cars.This is, potentially, dark news for any exciting projects the VW Group has in the pipeline. After all, the company that his given us some brilliantly innovative stuff in recent years, the XL1 and the Bugatti Veyron among the more glorious results of its R&D drive.VW scandal: the big questions answeredStuff like the XL Sport, a VW Group F1 entry, and even replacements for esoteric products like the Phaeton could fall into the what isn"t absolutely vital" category. Only time will tell exactly what is affected."Our most important task will be to regain lost confidence with our customers, partners, investors and the general public," said Muller. "Only when everything comes to the table, only when things are completely explained, only then will people trust us again."Believe me, I too am impatient. But in this situation, in which we are dealing with four brands [VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda] and many models, care is more important than speed."Technical fixes for engines fitted with the cheat code are close, and will vary between simple software tweaks and hardware swaps. In the meantime, VW owners in the UK can find out if their car is affected by inputting their VIN to this official website.Volkswagen"s UK sales in September look to have stayed strong, with the Golf and Polo the fourth and fifth best-selling cars respectively. Though with the scandal breaking towards the end of the month, October"s figures may be a better indicator of any damage to public opinion.UPDATE: 12pm, 30 SeptemberThe Volkswagen Group has announced that nearly 1.2 million cars in the UK have been affected by the emissions scandal.In a statement released today, the Group confirmed that the owners of 1,189,906 cars in the UK will be notified to get "their vehicles corrected in the near future". A fix is currently being developed that"ll be presented to the responsible authorities" before the end of October.They are made up as follows:Volkswagen passenger cars: 508,276<br />Audi: 393,450<br />Skoda: 131,569<br />Volkswagen commercial vehicles: 79,838<br />Seat: 76,773"Customers with these vehicles will be kept informed over the coming weeks and months," said Volkswagen. "All of the Group brands affected will set up national websites to update customers on developments."VW also pointed out that all petrol engines, as well as the V6 and V8 diesel engines, are unaffected.UPDATE: 4pm, 28 SeptemberUp to 2.1 million Audi vehicles worldwide could be dragged into the Volkswagen emissions scandal.According to Reuters, model lines including the A1, A3, A4, A5, A6, TT, Q3 and Q5 are affected by the so-called defeat device".The report also adds that ousted Volkswagen boss Martin Winterkorn is to be investigated by German prosecutors over allegations of fraud in the sale of cars with manipulated emissions data".UPDATE: 7pm, 25 SeptemberPorsche boss Matthias Muller is to be the new CEO of Volkswagen, the beleaguered German giant today announced.Muller replaces Martin Winterkorn, who stood down earlier this week in the wake of the US emissions scandal. In a statement, the 62-year-old German vowed to leave no stone unturned" in investigating how some 11 million diesels were fitted with a defeat device" allowing them to cheat official NOx tests."My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group, by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency," said Muller. "Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringest compliance and governance standards in our industry. If we manage to achieve that, then the Volkswagen Group [] has the opportunity to emerge from the crisis stronger than before."Muller"s career started at Audi in 1977, becoming product chief of the German brand in 1995. He was placed in charge of Audi and Lamborghini model lines in 2002, and by 2007 was given responsibility for product strategy across the entire VW Group by Winterkorn.At the same time as appointing Muller to the top job, the VW Group announced sweeping changes across its management. Seat chairman Jurgen Stackmann becomes VW"s sales and marketing boss, with Audi"s sales and marketing chief Luca de Meo moving to replace him.Despite speculation he would be dismissed, Michael Horn, president and CEO of the VW Group in the USA, will retain his job.It was also announced that the Group would form a new Porsche brand group" incorporating Bugatti and Bentley, with Wolfgang Durheimer looking likely to become its boss. Lamborghini, however, won"t form part of this group utilising the sports car and mid-engined toolkit", instead continuing to share a stable with Ducati.UPDATE: 2:30pm, 24 SeptemberVolkswagen group cars in Europe are also implicated in the emissions scandal, it has been confirmed. German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt revealed a government commission investigating the scandal had been told by VW executives that "vehicles in Europe with 1.6 and 2.0 litre diesel engines were also affected by the manipulations". The additional engine draws in more models to the scandal.Dobrindt added: "We will therefore continue to work intensively, together with Volkswagen, to find out exactly which vehicles are involved, in order to inform the public further".He also confirmed that spot-checks are being carried out on cars made by other manufacturers.UPDATE: 5pm, 23 SeptemberTopGear.com"s industry analyst Paul Horrell has weighed in on Winterkorn"s resignation."Winterkorn says he is shocked by the wrongdoing, and that he didn"t know about it at the time," writes our man PH. "Either those very close to the top knew about the cheating, or else they ran a company whose culture was dysfunctional."The German media is touting Matthias Muller, Porsche boss, as a replacement for Winterkorn. But Muller is an Audi and VW lifer who was responsible for product strategy for all VW Group brands up to 2010."Read the rest of Paul"s analysis hereUPDATE: 4:30pm, 23 SeptemberVolkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has announced his resignation.In an official statement released today, the 68-year old head of the beleaguered car company said he would be leaving to make way for a fresh start, following news that VW admitted to a code in its diesel engine software that skewed emissions."I am shocked by the events of the past few days," he said. "Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group."As CEO I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group. I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrong doing on my part."Volkswagen needs a fresh start also on terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation," he said.Volkswagen has not named a successor, but German media suggests Matthias Muller, boss of Porsche, is the favoured candidate.Regulators in America have charged VW with cheating emissions tests, a charge affecting nearly half a million cars sold over the past seven years.The problem centres around a code buried within Volkswagen"s 2.0-litre diesel engine software. The code detects when it is being driven on an emissions test cycle, and turns on its full controls. The controls are reduced elsewhere, emitting more NOx.The big VW emissions scandal: your questions answered
Date written: 14 Jan 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 1726
