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Volkswagen emissions scandal

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Scandal That Darkened VW's Name Means Cleaner Air For Nevada

Feb 05, 2020

The emissions scandal that dirtied Volkswagen’s reputation has made for cleaner air in Nevada.

NPR
Business
Cars drive near Frankfurt Airport on Tuesday in Germany. Most German highways have no speed limit, and a proposal to cap speeds at about 80 mph has sparked controversy.

A Speed Limit On German Highways: 'Like Talking Gun Control In The U.S.'

Jan 25, 2019
A government committee says capping speeds could reduce carbon emissions and pollution. Opponents say Germans have a visceral need for speed akin to Americans' views on gun rights.
NPR
Business
Audi's chief executive, Rupert Stadler, pictured at the Annual Media Conference of Volkswagen AG last month, was arrested Monday.

Audi CEO Arrested In Connection With Volkswagen Emissions Scandal

Jun 18, 2018
German prosecutors reportedly said they feared that Rupert Stadler might attempt to suppress evidence. The head of Volkswagen's luxury car brand was taken into custody Monday morning.
NPR
The Two-Way
Thousands of Volkswagen cars await their fate in a California desert facility already well-known for storing old airplanes.

Why 300,000 Volkswagens Are Being Stored In These Massive Auto Boneyards

Mar 29, 2018
Dramatic photos show thousands of the cars awaiting their fate. Volkswagen says it has paid more than $7.4 billion to buy back diesel cars in the U.S.
NPR
The Two-Way
Volkswagen executive Oliver Schmidt was sentenced to 7 years in prison for conspiring to evade U.S. clean air laws.

Senior Volkswagen Executive Sentenced In Diesel-Emissions Scandal

Dec 06, 2017
Oliver Schmidt admitted to conspiring to defraud the United States by misleading federal regulators about the emissions of diesel cars and violating clean air laws.
NPR
The Two-Way
The GMC Duramax Diesel 6.6L V-8 Turbo engine, seen here during the 2011 New York International Auto Show, is at the center of a new lawsuit over emissions.

Lawsuit Claims GM Used Defeat Devices On Duramax Diesel Trucks And SUVs

May 26, 2017
The class-action lawsuit accuses General Motors of using "at least three separate 'defeat devices' to increase engine power and efficiency" in its Duramax diesel engines.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Nevada Mulls Using $25 Million From VW To Fix, Swap Old Cars

Apr 05, 2017

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers are deliberating how the state should spend millions of dollars Volkswagen will pay after programming diesel engines to cheat on emissions tests.

NPR
The Two-Way
Owners of vehicles with larger VW diesel engines that have emissions-cheating software could get their cars fixed or bought back, the company says. Here, a man walks by an Audi diesel at company meetings last summer.

VW Offers Buyback Or Cash To U.S. Diesel Owners In Latest Settlement Deal

Feb 01, 2017
The plan would cover nearly 80,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles that contain what U.S. regulators have called a cheating mechanism.
NPR
The Two-Way
The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is among the vehicles that allegedly have emissions-altering software.

EPA Accuses Fiat Chrysler Of Installing Emissions-Cheating Software

Jan 12, 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency says Fiat Chrysler violated the Clean Air Act by allegedly installing software in about 104,000 vehicles that masked the true level of emissions.
NPR
The Two-Way
Volkswagen has agreed to plead guilty to three criminal felony counts as part of the settlement announced Wednesday by the Justice Department.

Volkswagen To Plead Guilty, Pay $4.3 Billion In Emissions Scheme Settlement

Jan 11, 2017
The Justice Department also announced the indictments of six VW executives. Volkswagen has admitted equipping diesel vehicles with software to cheat emissions tests and then lying to regulators.
NPR
The Two-Way
VW Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch, left, seen here with his predecessor Martin Winterkorn, has been at Volkswagen since 2003.

VW Chairman Now Included In German Prosecutor's Volkswagen Emissions Probe

Nov 06, 2016
The news comes more than one year after Hans Dieter Pötsch was named chairman; for 12 years, he was Volkswagen's chief financial officer.
NPR
The Two-Way
An image taken from a document filed in court Tuesday includes an example of the advertising Volkswagen executives used to sell the idea of "clean" diesel technology to U.S. consumers.

States' Lawsuits Say VW Execs Ran A Cover-Up Of Diesel Emissions Cheating

Jul 19, 2016
Citing "a culture of deeply-rooted corporate arrogance" at Volkswagen, New York and Massachusetts have filed civil lawsuits against the carmaker.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Nevada Gets $5M As Part Of Settlements With Volkswagen

Jun 29, 2016

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada expects to get $5.3 million from Volkswagen to settle allegations that the carmaker cheated on emissions tests and put highly polluting cars on the road.

NPR
The Two-Way
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, right, arrives for a court hearing in San Francisco Thursday. Mueller has been overseeing talks about a settlement between Volkswagen, the U.S. government, and the car company's customers.

VW Will Buy Back Some Diesel Cars, Announcing A Deal With U.S.

Apr 21, 2016
The agreement addresses "what to do about the 2-liter diesel cars on the road and the environmental consequences resulting from their excess emissions," the Justice Department says.
NPR
The Two-Way

Environmental Agencies Reject VW's Plan For Recall Over Emissions

Jan 12, 2016
The EPA says Volkswagen is responsible for nearly 600,000 diesel-powered vehicles that are now producing harmful air pollution in the U.S.
NPR
The Two-Way
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller speaks to the media Sunday in Detroit, apologizing for the scandal that has plunged the German auto giant into crisis.

'We Didn't Lie,' Volkswagen CEO Says Of Emissions Scandal

Jan 11, 2016
Speaking with NPR, Matthias Mueller blamed the problem on a misunderstanding of U.S. law and said the company doesn't have an ethics problem. Less than a day later, he asked to clarify those remarks.
NPR
The Two-Way
John Swanton of the California Air Resources Board, explaining how a 2013 Volkswagen with a diesel engine is evaluated at an emissions test lab. The U.S. has filed a civil complaint against Volkswagen over emissions cheating in its diesel cars.

U.S. Files Lawsuit Against Volkswagen Over Emissions Trickery

Jan 04, 2016
Volkswagen has acknowledged that millions of its diesel cars worldwide relied on a ruse to skirt emissions controls. The EPA says the two sides haven't agreed on how to handle a recall.
NPR
The Two-Way
Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch (left) and CEO Matthias Müller attend a news conference Thursday in Wolfsburg, Germany, to announce the latest update in the company's handling of its emissions scandal.

Volkswagen Chairman Says Emissions Cheating Sprang From 'Chain Of Errors'

Dec 10, 2015
The company admits to systematic failures, while maintaining a small group of people were directly involved. VW also pledged compensation for car owners and future third-party oversight of testing.
NPR
The Two-Way
The Volkswagen logo is seen at the main entrance gate of the Volkswagen group on Friday in Wolfsburg, Germany. That day, CEO Matthias Mueller announced the company would be cutting expenditures by more than $1 billion.

Scandal-Plagued VW Will Trim Spending By A Billion Euros

Nov 20, 2015
Volkswagen will be putting projects on hold — including the launch of an all-electric Phaeton sedan — to try to get on solid financial footing as it grapples with an emissions cheating scandal.
NPR
The Two-Way
Volkswagen says the fallout from its diesel emissions scandal is still becoming clear, as it reports a large quarterly loss. A car departs from Volkswagen's factory and company headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany.

VW Reports First Quarterly Loss In This Century, At $1.8 Billion

Oct 28, 2015
That $1.8 billion figure represents the after-taxes loss claimed by Volkswagen in its new quarterly statement. The carmaker's loss before taxes was far higher, at $3.8 billion.
NPR
Business
Volkswagen will have to compensate owners of diesel cars equipped with emissions-rigging software. But that isn't enough for some customers who are facing difficulty selling their cars after the scandal.

Emissions Scandal Is Hurting VW Owners Trying To Resell

Oct 26, 2015
As resale prices drop, the emissions cheating scandal costs customers who want to sell their Volkswagen diesels. "I think it's a tainted product now," says analyst Dave Galvin.
NPR
All Tech Considered

It's Not Just VW: A Robust Market For Reprogramming Vehicles

Oct 23, 2015
An entire marketplace exists on the Internet for tuners, devices that help drivers crank up the power on vehicles and then hide the evidence. We visit a local diesel shop to see how it works.
NPR
Business
Then-CEO Martin Winterkorn poses at Volkswagen's annual press conference in Wolfsburg, Germany, in 2012. He resigned his post last month following revelations that VW cheated on emissions tests.

How VW's Drive To Be No. 1 May Have Put It In Reverse

Oct 14, 2015
It's "clean diesel" engine was key to its growth strategy. But top managers' quest to make Volkswagen the world's leading carmaker very likely sowed the seeds of the company's downfall, analysts say.
NPR
The Two-Way
Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn testifies before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal Thursday.

'It Was Installed For This Purpose,' VW's U.S. CEO Tells Congress About Defeat Device

Oct 08, 2015
Michael Horn testified on the same day German prosecutors raided VW offices at its headquarters in Wolfsburg, seizing documents and records as they investigate the emissions scandal.
NPR
Business
"Herbie the Love Bug" and other vintage Volkswagens are lined up in 2005 in Santa Monica, Calif., as part of a celebration of VW's 50th anniversary in the U.S.

What VW Needs To Do To Survive Its Biggest Scandal

Oct 07, 2015
After revelations it cheated emissions tests, Volkswagen is vowing to win back the public's trust. But, experts say, it will take a long time. First, the automaker needs to let the crisis play out.

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