VW US Chief, Other Execs Expected to Be Dismissed
More high-level executives are expected to be dismissed at Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal.
VW’s U.S. CEO, Michael Horn (seen above), is expected to be let go along with Audi R&D boss Ulrich Hackenburg and Porsche engine chief Wolfgang Hatz according to German publication Bild. VW brand development chief Heinz-Jakob Neusser is also expected to be forced out, according to Spiegel.
A special position on the management board is being created for a new U.S. chief, the most likely candidate for which is Winfried Vahland, chief executive of VW’s Skoda division.
SEE ALSO: Everything You Need to Know About VW’s Diesel Scandal – UPDATED
All of these decisions will be made at a meeting of the supervisory board on Friday. A successor for ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn, who resigned in the wake of the scandal, will also be named during the meeting. Rumor has it that the head of Porsche, Matthias Müller, will be named to the top position.
“Internal Group investigations are continuing at a high tempo,” said VW’s executive board in a statement. “All participants in these proceedings that has resulted in unmeasurable harm for Volkswagen, will be subject to the full consequences.”
The scandal began when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a report claiming that VW had installed defeat devices in 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engines which allowed them to run much cleaner during emissions testing, while in everyday driving they were emitting 10 to 40 times more NOx than allowed. Since then, Volkswagen admitted to using the cheating software in roughly 11 million vehicles worldwide.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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that's saying something if the new VW USA chief comes from Skoda
if it wasn't for the EPA trying to legislate technology there wouldn't be a problem, it is what happens when ignorant people try to make technological decisions after rejecting the reality of engineering.