Volkswagen May be Worlds Biggest AutoMaker

[WillowTree]

Volkswagen may have passed Toyota to be the world's largest automaker in sales last quarter, because of higher demand in its main markets, Reuters reported Friday, citing partial company data.

Volkswagen, with its nine car and truck brands, increased sales in China, Germany and Brazil, which accounted for 44 percent of its total last year, the report said, without providing sales figures.

The automaker is said to be benefiting from economic stimulus plans that have boosted sales in several countries "making it more likely that it beat Toyota or at least came close," the report found.

In the first quarter of this year, Toyota’s sales dropped 36 percent in the U.S., and 31 percent for its Toyota- brand cars in Japan, the report said. The U.S. and Japan — which have been crippled by a deepening recession and credit crunch — account for about half of Toyota’s total sales.




FOXNews.com - Volkswagen May Be World's Largest Automaker - Auto

 

[jillian]

for the money? prolly not a better made car on the market than the VW.

funny how that works.

 

[editec]

for the money? prolly not a better made car on the market than the VW.

funny how that works.

OH?

ARe the finally making decent cars again?

For a while everything they made seemed to fall apart.

Every person I know who bought one regretted it.

 

[Zoom-boing]

for the money? prolly not a better made car on the market than the VW.

funny how that works.

OH?

ARe the finally making decent cars again?

For a while everything they made seemed to fall apart.

Every person I know who bought one regretted it.

That's what I was thinking. My brother has a Jetta that's . . . maybe 5 or 6 years old and he's been spending some major bucks on repairs.

My parents have a small GE refrigerator that is over 50 years old and works like a charm. They also have their original toaster (cord/plug was replaced) from when they got married 57 years ago. I grew up where you if you took care of things, they lasted. I'm always perplexed when things don't last really, really long.

 

[waltky]

Head of Volkswagen on the chopping block...

Volkswagen to dismiss CEO over emissions-cheating scandal: paper
22 Sept.`15 - Volkswagen will dismiss Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn, a German newspaper said on Tuesday, after the carmaker admitted to cheating U.S. vehicles emissions tests and said 11 million of its cars could be affected worldwide.

The Tagesspiegel newspaper, citing unidentified sources on Volkswagen's supervisory board, said Winterkorn would be replaced by Matthias Mueller, the head of the carmaker's Porsche sports car business. A Volkswagen spokesman described the report as "ridiculous." A spokesman for Porsche said Mueller was currently at a Volkswagen board meeting at its headquarters in Wolfsburg.

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn gives his closing speech during the Volkswagen group night ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany

Shares in Europe's biggest carmaker plunged almost 20 percent on Monday after it admitted using software that deceived U.S. regulators measuring toxic emissions in some of its diesel cars. The stock tumbled another 20 percent to a four-year low on Tuesday after the company said it would set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in its third-quarter accounts to help cover the costs of the biggest scandal in its 78-year-history, blowing a hole in analysts' profit forecasts.

Volkswagen also warned that sum could rise, adding diesel cars with so-called Type EA 189 engines built into about 11 million Volkswagen models worldwide had shown a "noticeable deviation" in emission levels between testing and road use. Volkswagen sold 10.1 million cars in the whole of 2014. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday Volkswagen could face penalties of up to $18 billion for cheating emissions tests. The carmaker also faces lawsuits and damage to its reputation that could hit sales.

Volkswagen to dismiss CEO over emissions-cheating scandal: paper

 

[waltky]

VW scandal splashes on Audi, Porsche...

Volkswagen says 11 million cars hit by scandal, probes multiply
23 Sept.`15 - Volkswagen AG <VOWG_p.DE> said a scandal over falsified U.S. vehicle emission tests could affect 11 million of its cars around the globe as investigations of its diesel models multiplied, heaping fresh pressure on CEO Martin Winterkorn.

The world's largest automaker said it would set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in its third-quarter accounts to help cover the costs of the biggest scandal in its 78-year-history, blowing a hole in analysts' profit forecasts. [ID:nL5N11S1TE] It also warned that amount could rise, saying diesel cars with so-called Type EA 189 engines built into Volkswagen models worldwide had shown a "noticeable deviation" in emission levels between testing and road use.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday Volkswagen could face penalties of up to $18 billion for cheating emissions tests. In addition, the U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal probe, a source familiar with the matter said. The investigation is likely to examine not only possible violations of the Clean Air Act but also of broader statutes against wire fraud, false statements to regulators and other crimes, former prosecutors not involved with the investigation said. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.

Volkswagen logo is seen next to an emergency exit sign on the company's booth during the first media day of the Geneva Auto Show at the Palexpo in Geneva

New York and other state attorneys general are also forming a group to investigate, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. “No company should be allowed to evade our environmental laws or promise consumers a fake bill of goods," Schneiderman said in a statement. The crisis has sent shockwaves through Germany, with Chancellor Angela Merkel calling for "complete transparency" from a company seen as a symbol of the country's engineering excellence.

Winterkorn was due to have his contract extended at a supervisory board meeting on Friday but is now facing questions about whether he knew about the use of software that deceived U.S. regulators measuring toxic emissions in some of its diesel cars. "Winterkorn either knew of proceedings in the U.S. or it was not reported to him," Evercore ISI analyst Arndt Ellinghorst said. "In the first instance, he must step down immediately. In the second, one needs to ask why such a far-reaching violation was not reported to the top, and then things will get tough, too."

MORE

See also:

California will test six-cylinder diesel engines from VW's Audi, Porsche
Sep 23, 2015: The California Air Resources Board will broaden its testing of Volkswagen AG cars with diesel engines to include those with 3.0-liter V6 engines sold by two subsidiaries, a spokesman for the state regulator said on Tuesday.

The latest models to be examined are the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi A6, Stanley Young, communications director for the Air Resources Board, told Reuters. Porsche declined to comment. Audi did not respond to a request for comment. Volkswagen said on Tuesday that engine software connected with a scandal over falsified U.S. vehicle emission tests could affect 11 million of its cars worldwide as investigations of its diesel models multiplied.

The California Air Resources Board's testing uncovered software in several Volkswagen models that allowed the company to cheat state and federal emissions requirements by switching performance levels between testing and real-world conditions. "That investigation looked at two-liter four-cylinder engines," said Young. "Now we're going to start looking at six-cylinder, three-liter diesel engines."

Young said VW engineers acknowledged the use of a so-called defeat device - in fact, a software algorithm - to circumvent state and federal emissions standards during a Sept. 3 meeting in the board's El Monte, California testing headquarters, attended by senior engineering executives of the regulator and the car company.

It was the 10th meeting between the two sides, called by CARB to resolve the discrepancy between pollution levels measured on the road and those obtained under controlled testing conditions. "They literally ran out of excuses," Young said, describing the meeting in which the car manufacturer "admitted there was a defeat device."

California will test six-cylinder diesel engines from VW's Audi, Porsche - The Times of India

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right, dey screwed up - now dey gotta pay the piper...

VW chief under pressure as cheating scandal snowballs
23 Sept.`15 - The job of Volkswagen's chief executive appeared to be on the line Wednesday over a pollution cheating scandal that has sparked a US criminal investigation and worldwide legal action with unfathomable financial consequences for the auto giant.

Volkswagen's share market nightmare showed the first signs of lifting as its stock steadied a little in early trade in Frankfurt, following a two-day freefall that had axed 35 percent, or 25 billion euros, off the company's market value. By mid morning the shares were up 2.1 percent at 108.50 euros. However, the world's largest auto manufacturer by sales in the first half of this year still faces a growing tangle of legal threats after it admitted that as many as 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide are equipped with software capable of fooling official pollution tests. Chief executive Martin Winterkorn's job is now believed to be hanging in the balance, as senior supervisory board members were reportedly meeting to discuss his dismissal.

- 'Deepest apologies' -

The German news agency DPA said the supervisory board's six-member steering committee met late Tuesday, and was scheduled to reconvene again on Wednesday. But no information has emerged about any decisions taken at the talks, DPA said. The regional Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung earlier said Winterkorn had lost the confidence of major shareholders. An AFP photographer saw cars with tinted windows entering the Volkswagen headquarters in Wolfsburg in the morning but it was impossible to say whether they were joining the board meeting. Winterkorn offered his "deepest apologies" over the revelations on Tuesday. "I am infinitely sorry that we have disappointed people's trust. I offer my deepest apologies," the 68-year-old executive said in a video statement, promising to be "ruthless" in getting to the bottom of the scandal.

- Software turned off controls -

According to the US authorities, VW has admitted that it equipped about 482,000 cars in the United States with sophisticated software that covertly turns off pollution controls when the car is being driven. It turns them on only when it detects that the vehicle is undergoing an emissions test. With the so-called "defeat device" deactivated, the car can spew pollutant gases into the air, including nitrogen oxide in amounts as much as 40 times higher than emissions standards, said the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

A Volkswagen Golf TDI diesel car undergoes an emissions inspection at a garage in Frankfurt, eastern Germany

The EPA ,which announced the allegations Friday along with California state authorities, is conducting an investigation that could lead to fines amounting to a maximum of more than $18 billion. The US Department of Justice has also launched a criminal investigation led by its environment and natural resources division, a source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The California Air Resources Board, too, is investigating Volkswagen's pollution violations. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he had launched his own probe of Volkswagen and would work on it with prosecutors from other states across the United States.

- Billions in provisions -

 

[Bonzi]

I saw an old Volkswagen Rabbit on the road the other day. Forgot how SMALL they were - must have been one of the first models... it was TINY!

 

[waltky]

Gee, thought dey was neutral...

The Latest: Switzerland to ban sales of some VW group cars
Sep 25,`15 -- The latest developments on the Volkswagen emissions scandal. All times local.

Switzerland is banning sales of Volkswagen Group cars with outdated emissions systems in the wake of the emissions-rigging scandal that started in the United States. Thomas Rohrbach, spokesman for the Swiss federal office of roadways, says Friday that the ban is on all cars with diesel engines in the "euro 5" emissions category. It includes all VW models - as well as Seat, Skodas and others in the VW group. But the ban only affects cars not yet sold or registered, not ones already in circulation. It doesn't apply to cars now in production with "euro 6" engines, which aren't affected by the emissions scandal. Rohrbach said the ban potentially could affect 180,000 vehicles that have 1.2-liter, 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines.

9 p.m.

Volkswagen says the 11 million vehicles worldwide that contain software involved in the emissions-rigging scandal include some 5 million cars made by its core Volkswagen brand. The Volkswagen Group includes 12 brands, and the company has yet to detail fully what cars where were involved. A Volkswagen statement Friday said some diesel models and model years - such as the sixth-generation Golf, seventh-generation Passat and first-generation Tiguan - are equipped exclusively with the EA 189 engines in which it says there are "discrepancies." It didn't detail where in the world the 5 million Volkswagens were sold. Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess says "we are working at full speed on a technical solution that we will present to partners, to our customers and to the public as swiftly as possible."

A man looks through binoculars as he stands next to a corporate logo of Volkswagen on the rooftop of the former power plant of the German car manufacturer in Wolfsburg, Germany, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. Volkswagen's supervisory board is meeting Friday to discuss who to name as CEO after Martin Winterkorn quit the job this week over an emissions-rigging scandal that's rocking the world's top-selling automaker.

7:20 p.m.

Volkswagen says it is reorganizing its North America business under Winfried Vahland, until now chairman of the board of directors at Skoda. The company says Michael Horn will remain as president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, but its U.S, Canada and Mexico markets will be "combined and significantly strengthened" to form a new "North America region."

6:50 p.m.

Incoming Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller is pledging to do everything to win back the trust of the public in the wake of the emissions scandal that erupted in the U.S. He said after being appointed to the job on Friday that "we stand by our responsibility." He also said, however, that "carefulness is even more important than speed." Mueller said the company would introduce "even tougher compliance rules" and pledged to make VW "an even stronger company."

6:40 p.m.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dem Germermans is alla time tryin' to take over the world...

Volkswagen scandal exposes cozy ties between industry and Berlin
Sep 26, 2015: Angela Merkel learned early in her political career that taking on the German car industry carries risks.

It was the spring of 1995 and the newly appointed environment minister was trying to convince her cabinet colleagues to back a bold new set of anti-smog rules that included tougher speed limits and summer driving bans. But Matthias Wissmann, the transport minister with close ties to industry, was having none of it. He questioned whether Merkel's measures would cut pollution levels at all and vowed to fight any attempt to impose speed limits on the Autobahn.

Wissmann's argument won the day, reducing Merkel to tears, according to a 2010 biography by Gerd Langguth. For the ambitious young minister from the communist East it was a lesson about how politics worked in a united Germany. Much has changed in the intervening years. Merkel is now in her third term as chancellor. Wissmann heads the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA), the influential lobby group for German automakers. But there is one constant: the clout of the auto industry in German politics.

This relationship, which some describe as symbiotic, bordering on incestuous, is in the spotlight now, as Volkswagen, the country's largest carmaker, reels from an emissions scandal that has forced out its long-time CEO Martin Winterkorn and sent its stock careening lower. There are no indications that German politicians were aware that VW was rigging its diesel emissions tests. Merkel and her leading ministers have expressed surprise and indignation at the revelations, urging VW to clear them up swiftly. But authorities in Germany and elsewhere in Europe had known for years about the widening gap between emissions values measured in official laboratory tests and those recorded in a real-world environment.

Yet, critics say, Berlin fought hard to shield its carmakers from closer scrutiny and, in a high-profile clash with its European partners two years ago, from tougher emissions targets. Merkel has defended the stance as necessary in order to protect jobs in the sector. Some see the VW scandal as symptomatic of a deeper problem in which German car companies have been allowed to do as they please without oversight or fear of reprisals from Berlin. "The Volkswagen scandal is a warning shot to the politicians," said Christina Deckwirth of Berlin-based Lobby Control. "It shows they need to spend less time protecting the auto industry and more time overseeing it."

Poster child:

 

[waltky]

VW staff warned about emissions test cheating years ago...

VW staff, supplier warned of emissions test cheating years ago: reports
Sun Sep 27, 2015 - Volkswagen's own staff and one of its suppliers warned years ago about software designed to thwart emissions tests, two German newspapers reported on Sunday, as the automaker tries to uncover whether its executives knew about the cheating.

Europe's biggest automaker is adding up the cost of the biggest business scandal in its 78-year history, having acknowledged installing software in diesel engines designed to hide their emissions of toxic gasses. Countries around the world have launched their own investigations after the company was caught cheating on tests in the United States. Volkswagen says the software affected engines in 11 million cars, most of which were sold in Europe.

The logo of German carmaker Volkswagen is seen on the front grill of a Passat car

The company's internal investigation is likely to focus on how far up the chain of command were executives who were responsible for the cheating, and how long were they aware of it. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, citing a source on VW's supervisory board, said the board had received an internal report at its meeting on Friday showing VW technicians had warned about illegal emissions practices in 2011. No explanation was given as to why the matter was not addressed then.

Separately, Bild am Sonntag newspaper said VW's internal probe had turned up a letter from parts supplier Bosch written in 2007 that also warned against the possible illegal use of Bosch-supplied software technology. The paper did not cite a source for its report. Volkswagen declined to comment on the details of either newspaper report. "There are serious investigations underway and the focus is now also on technical solutions" for customers and dealers, a Volkswagen spokesman said. "As soon as we have reliable facts we will be able to give answers." A spokesman for Bosch ROBG.UL said the company's dealings with VW were confidential.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Volkswagen stone-walling to delay the inevitable...

Volkswagen plays down hopes of quick answers over emissions cheating
Wed Oct 7, 2015 | Volkswagen said on Wednesday it would take time to get to the bottom of its rigging of diesel emissions tests, hours before the carmaker is due to give updates on its findings to German regulators and U.S. lawmakers.

More than two weeks after it admitted to cheating U.S. emissions tests, Europe's largest carmaker is under pressure to identify those responsible, to say how vehicles with illegal software will be fixed and whether it also cheated in Europe. "Nobody is served by speculation or vague, preliminary progress reports," Hans Dieter Poetsch told a news conference after being confirmed as the German company's new chairman. "Therefore it will take some time until we have factual and reliable results and can provide you with comprehensive information," he added, declining to take any questions.

Later on Wednesday, Volkswagen is due to submit a plan to Germany's KBA watchdog to spell out how it will make its diesel vehicles comply with emissions laws. The German transport ministry said it had been assured by the company that the deadline would be met. On Thursday, Volkswagen's top U.S. executive will testify before a U.S. congressional oversight panel. Both events come as investigations and lawsuits against the company continue to pile up. According to a letter released on Wednesday, top senators on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee are investigating Volkswagen's actions related to federal tax credits designed to reward consumers for buying environmentally-friendly vehicles.

Poetsch addressed reporters after the carmaker's 20-person supervisory board met at its headquarters in Wolfsburg to discuss the progress of its internal investigation into the biggest business crisis in the company's 78-year history. The scandal has wiped more than a third off its share price, forced out its long-time chief executive, led its new CEO to predict "massive cuts", and sent shockwaves through both the global car industry and the German establishment. One source close to the matter said there was a "certain degree of fright" among management ahead of U.S. chief Michael Horn's appearance before the congressional panel. However, the source said it was too early to name those responsible for installing software in some diesel engines to manipulate emissions tests. Poetsch, 64, promised U.S. law firm Jones Day, which is conducting an external investigation, the company was "leaving no stone unturned."

WHAT'S THE COST?

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Volkswagen may have passed Toyota to be the world's largest automaker in sales last quarter, because of higher demand in its main markets, Reuters reported Friday, citing partial company data.

Volkswagen, with its nine car and truck brands, increased sales in China, Germany and Brazil, which accounted for 44 percent of its total last year, the report said, without providing sales figures.

The automaker is said to be benefiting from economic stimulus plans that have boosted sales in several countries "making it more likely that it beat Toyota or at least came close," the report found.

In the first quarter of this year, Toyota’s sales dropped 36 percent in the U.S., and 31 percent for its Toyota- brand cars in Japan, the report said. The U.S. and Japan — which have been crippled by a deepening recession and credit crunch — account for about half of Toyota’s total sales.




FOXNews.com - Volkswagen May Be World's Largest Automaker - Auto

And six years later....

 

[waltky]

Granny says dey oughta throw the whole board out...

Volkswagen Elects New Chairman of its Board of Directors
October 07, 2015 - Volkswagen elected its chief financial officer as chairman of its board of directors, as the German carmaker struggles with the scandal of emission test-rigging in the United States.

Hans Dieter Poetsch said Wednesday it will take some time to clear up the diesel emission scandal. Poetsch expressed his commitment to do everything possible to shed light on what happened. Poetsch spoke after the meeting at company headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. "The public and above all our clients have a right to be informed comprehensively. Presumptions or vague preliminary facts of the matter help no one," said Poetsch. "That's why it will still take some time until there are confirmed and reliable results which we can then inform you about." Ahead of the announcement, Volkswagen’s new chief executive officer, Matthias Mueller, said he hopes the company can begin recalling vehicles in January, and perhaps finish repairing all affected vehicles by the end of next year. He made his comments in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

A 2013 Volkswagen Passat with a diesel engine is evaluated at the California Air Resources Board emissions test lab in El Monte, Calif.​

Major crossroads

Volkswagen has been under pressure from European authorities to announce a plan for resolving the scandal, which has resulted in the worst crisis of confidence in its 78-year history. Volkswagen had equipped about half-a-million diesel cars in the U.S. with software that switched pollution controls on during tests, but shut off anti-pollution devices during normal driving. Volkswagen admitted a few days after the September 18 revelation that the software had been installed on 11 million vehicles worldwide. Mueller said some vehicles will need only minor adjustments, but he added that he anticipates a variety of different adjustments among the affected cars, taking into account their make and model as well as a country's emissions regulations.

VW defeat device​

Containment approach

Mueller said at least four people responsible for the scandal already have left the company. He said this crisis will force Volkswagen to cut costs, but the company will fight to limit the impact of the scandal on its 600,000-person workforce. In the U.S., several lawsuits have been filed against the automaker. U.S. environmental regulators say Volkswagen faces fines of up to $18 billion. The German carmaker also said 1.8 million commercial vehicles are among those fitted with the fraudulent software.

Volkswagen Elects New Chairman of its Board of Directors

 

[Maryland Patriot]

for the money? prolly not a better made car on the market than the VW.

funny how that works.

OH?

ARe the finally making decent cars again?

For a while everything they made seemed to fall apart.

Every person I know who bought one regretted it.

Im still driving my 2006 Jetta TDI. Has 220k on it now and other than a F-ed up problem with the headlights since it was new, it has never been in for a repair.
Runs every bit as good as my Duramax in my GMC.
and I get over 50mpg with it.

 

[waltky]

Somebody goin' to jail over this?...

German prosecutors conduct searches in VW emissions probe
Oct 8,`15 -- German prosecutors carried out searches Thursday in connection with their investigation of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, seeking material that would help clarify who was responsible for the cheating.

The raids were carried out Thursday in Wolfsburg, where VW has its headquarters, and at other locations, prosecutors in nearby Braunschweig said in a statement. They said the aim of the searches was to "secure documents and data storage devices" that could identify those involved in the alleged manipulation and explain how it was carried out. Prosecutors last week launched an investigation to determine who was responsible for suspected fraud committed through the sale of vehicles with manipulated emissions data. They acted after receiving about a dozen criminal complaints from citizens and one from VW itself.

Longtime chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned after the scandal broke in the U.S. on Sept. 18, saying that he was not aware of any wrongdoing on his part. He was replaced by Porsche boss Matthias Mueller. Volkswagen has suspended four individuals, including three managers who were responsible for engine development, and hired U.S. law firm Jones Day to conduct an investigation. Earlier Thursday, Germany's vice chancellor traveled to Wolfsburg to send a message of support to the automaker's employees, and urged the company to be pro-active in its efforts to clear up the scandal.

Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Germany's economy minister, joined a meeting of employee representatives from Germany and beyond as Volkswagen tries to determine who was responsible for the installation of test-cheating software and how quickly up to 11 million vehicles that potentially contain it can be fixed. "I think it is important to send the message that, in the end, the employees must not pay the price for ... criminal behavior by managers," Gabriel said in Wolfsburg, where VW is headquartered. "It is clear that the company must clear this up - the more offensively it does so, the better," Gabriel said. "The more defensively it approaches the question, the more difficult it will be. My impression is that the supervisory board and the new CEO know this."

MORE

 

[waltky]

Small group behind emissions scandal...

Around 20 people behind Volkswagen emission scandal: Source
Oct 29, 2015: Volkswagen believes that up to around 20 people were involved in its rigging of diesel-engine emissions tests, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday

A source told Reuters earlier this month that more than ten senior managers had been suspended during an internal inquiry at the German carmaker. Sources have provided the names of six suspended top managers including three brand executives. "The number of people responsible will not be confined to a handful," the person said, declining to be identified because the matter is supposed to be confidential. "This should be a two-digit number in the range of between 10 and 20."

Europe's biggest carmaker admitted last month to cheating diesel emissions tests in the United States, triggering a crisis that has wiped more than a quarter off its stock market value, forced out its long-time chief executive and rocked both the global auto industry and German establishment. VW's US chief, Michael Horn, sparked criticism from some lawmakers earlier this month by saying he believed "a couple of software engineers" were responsible. The number of people involved is a key issue for investors because it could affect the size of potential fines and the extent of management change at the company.

VW's internal investigation is currently focusing on as many as 40 employees involved in activities related to the manipulations, the person said. "This includes a number of people who can be ruled out as perpetrators but who were witnesses," the person said. He did not say whether any of the individuals included board members. VW declined to comment. Prosecutors from Braunschweig, close to VW's home town of Wolfsburg, are investigating several people on initial suspicion of criminal offences such as fraud or violation of competition rules, a spokesman said. Earlier this month, the prosecutors raided VW's Wolfsburg headquarters and other offices, targeting documents and data storage devices.

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