The German auto industry's "emissions scandal" continues to ferment, and all major automakers are involved

The "emissions scandal" in the German auto industry continues to ferment, involving many automakers such as Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Porsche and Daimler. The former CEO of Volkswagen Group was prosecuted for cheating on exhaust emissions. In addition, according to German media reports on the 14th, Daimler Group, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, was also investigated again for suspected fraud.

Former Volkswagen CEO indicted for emissions cheating

On the 15th, Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of Volkswagen Group, and four other Volkswagen executives were prosecuted by prosecutors in Brunswick, Germany for cheating on Volkswagen diesel engine exhaust emissions.

After the Volkswagen "emissions gate" scandal was exposed in September 2015, Volkswagen Group CEO Winterkorn announced his resignation, and the Brunswick prosecutor's office in Germany subsequently launched an investigation into his suspected illegal market manipulation in the automobile exhaust emissions scandal.

A senior prosecutor in charge of the case said that Winterkorn had known about Volkswagen's emissions cheating as early as at least May 2014, but he failed to inform customers and relevant regulators in a timely manner, concealing very important information.

Mercedes-Benz parent company under investigation again for suspected fraud

In addition, according to German media reports on the 14th, Daimler Group, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, was once again investigated by the Federal Motor Transport Office, the German automotive industry regulator, for allegedly using software to falsify exhaust gas tests for tens of thousands of its vehicles.

The report said the vehicles in question were diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz SUVs produced between 2012 and 2015.

The German Federal Motor Transport Authority discovered in 2018 that the diesel engine of this car was suspected of software fraud and immediately launched an investigation. A spokesman for Daimler Group confirmed that the German Federal Motor Transport Authority had started a dialogue with Daimler on this matter several months ago and held a hearing.

Several German car companies are suspected of falsifying exhaust emissions data

The Volkswagen "Emissions Gate" scandal was exposed in September 2015. Volkswagen was accused of cheating in diesel vehicle exhaust tests, that is, using "fail-safe" devices to allow cars to pass exhaust tests, but their emissions were seriously exceeded during normal driving, and about 11 million diesel vehicles were involved.

In June 2017, Volkswagen subsidiary Audi was confirmed to have installed exhaust cheating software on several diesel cars including the A8. In July of the same year, Daimler was also involved in the "emissions scandal" and had to recall 3 million diesel cars in Europe. "Cheating software" was also found in the Porsche Cayenne 3.0 diesel car.

At the end of July 2017, Germany's Der Spiegel magazine revealed that Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Porsche and Daimler had colluded for years, reached consensus on technology, costs, suppliers, etc., and jointly manipulated the market.