‘Volkswagen pollution scandal not just Volkswagen’

This video says about itself:

22 September 2015

Volkswagen’s pollution regulation cheating scandal cost them more than $34 million every minute.

From daily The Morning Star in Britain:

Volkswagen emission cheating ‘worse in EU‘

Wednesday 23rd September 2015

MILLIONS of cars across Europe and Britain could be recalled following a probe into rigged emissions tests on Volkswagen (VW) models in the US, a transport lobby group warned yesterday.

The German car maker apologised after US government body the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found VW had cheated over clean-air rules, ordering it to recall nearly 500,000 diesel models.

But campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) claimed the technology used in VW cars over a seven year period was also used by other car makers.

The VW devices allow diesel cars to release fewer smog-causing pollutants during tests than in real-world driving conditions.

T&E’s diesel expert Jos Dings said: “All the evidence points to exactly the same thing going on in Europe and potentially even worse.

“Diesel cars in Europe operate with worse technology on average than the US. We are the diesel market but they have dug it up because they take law enforcement seriously.”

Mr Dings warned that millions of cars could be recalled.

The US government announced it was widening the investigation to other manufacturers yesterday, while the European Commission (EC) has contacted VW and US authorities over the findings.

The Clean Air in London campaign described the effects of diesel vehicle emissions as the “biggest public health catastrophe.”

Founder Simon Birkett said: “If manufacturers have deliberately contributed to that problem in some way the only way to get to the bottom isn’t a police investigation but something that has much wider powers.

“There are a lot more questions than answers and one of the questions will be if (the practice) extends beyond one manufacturer.”

Will be Volkswagen (and other) fat cats be held accountable for their crimes?

I am afraid that, if people leave decisions to the establishment, then not a single Volkswagen (and other) CEO or other bigwig will have to spend even one minute in jail. The probability of someone lower in the car manufacturing hierarchy becoming a scapegoat is bigger.

Also from The Morning Star:

Volkswagen pollution fakery wheeze under fire

Wednesday 23rd September 2015

Criminal probes launched across the world

by Our Foreign Desk

GERMAN car giant Volkswagen faced worldwide investigations yesterday as a scandal mounted over diesel cars it had secretly programmed to thwart US pollution tests.

France requested a Europe-wide probe, South Korea summoned Volkswagen officials for explanations and the US Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation.

Volkswagen has halted all diesel vehicle sales in the US during the probe, which could lead to fines of more than $18 billion (£11bn).

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin called for a “Europe-wide” probe, telling French radio it was “necessary” to check cars made by other carmakers as well.

“This is not a minor subject, it’s not about speed or the quality of leather,” he said. “What we are dealing with is avoiding people being poisoned by pollution.”

Experts say the cheat devices were likely introduced because pollution controls downgrade the cars’ performance in mileage and speed.

According to the US authorities, VW has admitted that it had equipped about 482,000 cars in the US with sophisticated software that covertly turns off pollution controls when the car is being driven and turns them on only when it detects the vehicle is undergoing emissions testing.

With the so-called “defeat device” deactivated, the car can spew pollutant gases into the air in amounts as much as 40 per cent higher than emissions standards, said the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health,” said EPA spokeswoman Cynthia Giles.

In Germany, the government has already launched an investigation into whether Volkswagen or other carmakers are doing anything similar.

Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt has asked Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority “to immediately have specific and extensive tests conducted on all Volkswagen diesel models.”

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn Resigns Amid Diesel Scandal: here. And here.

Volkswagen hires BP oil spill lawyers to defend emissions cases. Carmaker faces class action suits after admitting 11m of its cars were designed to cheat emissions testing: here.

VW scandal caused nearly 1m tonnes of extra pollution, analysis shows: here.

Germany: Green Party claims Merkel government knew carmakers were rigging emissions tests: here.