What do you do with 294,000 dirty, polluting diesel cars you have to remove from the streets? Volkswagen has had to figure that out as it has bought back dieselgate cars and held them as they await government-approved modification to fix the original technical cheats and high emissions.
VW finds itself yet again going against German courts that sided with the consumers this time. And this time, it could end up costing the German carmaker a lot more than it originally thought.
Germany’s previous love affair with diesel might be costing it its place in the new electric mobility (e-mobility) world. The country has a cozy relationship with its biggest industrial sector, carmaking, and it is very well represented.
Just when you think the last nail in the coffin containing the cold dead body of diesel has been put in place, along comes Matthias Mūller, the capo di tutti capi at Volkswagen to tell us that his company still sees a bright future for cars with diesel engines.
The CEO of Volkswagen has been quoted as saying that while company execs aren’t “against” the retrofitting of old diesel car exhaust systems so as to make them cleaner, the company can’t afford to pay for such a course of action.
We reported not that long back on the news that lawyers working for Volkswagen in the US were seeking to delay a trial relating to the diesel emissions scandal because of “inflammatory comments” made in a recent Netflix documentary — comments that drew allusions between the company’s sponsoring of animal testing meant to be used for pro-diesel PR purposes and the Holocaust. The idea behind the legal argument was that the documentary would “unfairly” sway jurors against the company.
Children are everyone’s hope for positive change. They are every country’s most valuable resource. Children make life sparkle and remind one of the most meaningful parts of life. Perhaps that is one main reason why critical health issues for children are so heartbreaking. Those health issues seem all the more tragic when they come from decisions that humans didn’t have to make, from not thinking through the options in the best overall way.
Volkswagen will be paying a settlement of up to $232 million (CAD$290.5) in Canada relating to excess emissions from 3.0-liter diesel vehicles sold there in recent years, according to recent reports.
In a nice bit of news, the highest court in Germany has now ruled to reject Volkswagen’s bid to suspend further investigation into the actions of the company’s management during the “dieselgate” emissions scandal by a special auditor.
Volkswagen has, for the time being, halted deliveries of its T6 multivan to dealerships after it was detected that the diesel van was emitting nitrogen oxide levels well above legal limits. The company has now reported this fact to Germany’s auto industry watchdog, KBA.
