Volkswagen has been again caught in cheating scandal. This time its Porsche and Audi six-cylinder diesel vehicles is in question raise by California and federal regulators. It is alleged software has been used in the engines to evade air pollution testing.
The fresh charges could be trouble for new CEO Matthias Mueller who replaced Martin Winterkorn in September this year. His shift from being the CEO of subsidiary Porsche was meant to signal a clean break from all the earlier allegations of cheating air pollution tests and also to usher in greater accountability.
Winterkorn left the company in disgrace after the allegations that damaged Volkswagen financially and market value of the company fell by half.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accuse VW of using the same type of software and device with six-cylinder engines that it admitted to have used in about 11 million four-cylinder diesels of its cars delivered across the world.
The software-based device in question is programed to change the engine performance during emissions testing.
Assistant administrator for EPA’s Office for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Cynthia Giles, said the German auto giant has again failed its obligation to protect clean air in the US.
Giles added the software in VW cars was found through joint testing by federal and California officials.
