It's All One Big Pack Of Lies: VW Finds Tough Going After Lying To Fed Over Emissions

No one has died from the emissions-cheating software Volkswagen has admitted it installed in some of its cars, yet the U.S. Justice Department may treat it more harshly than two automakers whose defective vehicles killed people.

General Motors vehicles were fitted with faulty ignition switches linked to at least 124 deaths. Toyota Motor Corp. cars were involved in unintended acceleration responsible for at least four deaths. Neither had to plead guilty in settling criminal allegations, but Volkswagen may be forced to if it’s charged with criminal conduct and also wants to settle, according to attorneys who specialize in environmental law.

Read Article

MDarringer - 2/8/2016 4:42:01 PM

0 Boost

Do it! Do it! Do it!

TheSteve - 2/8/2016 5:56:52 PM

+2 Boost

According to the reports I've read, Volkswagen issues press releases stating "we continue to fully cooperate with authorities" when in fact, the truth is quite the opposite. US regulators, investigators, and inquiries repeatedly report that VW is NOT forthcoming with requested information. VW does not deny this, quoting German privacy laws as their justification. In plain English, US authorities feel they're being stonewalled by vW, while VW claims full co-operation.

But it's not just a matter of withholding information that VW believes they are entitled to withhold. Since the debut of Dieselgate, VW has been anything OTHER than open, honest, and candid. They started by, and continue to try to scapegoat "a couple of [rogue] engineers", then "a handful of engineers," and most recently, "less than a hundred" as being responsible for Dieselgate, while denying this reflects in any way the enterprise that is VW. In VW's words, "This is not who we are." Meanwhile, inquiries and amnesties have uncovered that VW has a lengthy history of a deeply entrenched corporate culture that rules by intimidation and fear.

In my opinion, VW are still in a state of arrogant defiance and/or a deep "cover your ass" mode of operation.

(Disclosure: I own a 2015 Audi Q5, made by the Volkswagen Audi Group, AKA "VAG". I love the car, for the most part, but I have no allegiance to VAG, nor any axe to grind.)

MDarringer - 2/8/2016 8:26:35 PM

-1 Boost

VW needs to get cashraped.