VW CEO Resigns in Wake of Emissions Scandal

As the aftermath of the VW emissions scandal continues to send shockwaves across the globe, CEO Martin Winterkorn has resigned in a not so unexpected move. He publically admitted that VW would take full responsibility for the emissions cheating scandal that saw them install “defeat devices” into the engines of their latest vehicles. The scandal gas severely damaged the manufacturer’s reputation and the resignation of its long standing CEO is likely just the beginning.

“As C.E.O., I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines,” says Mr. Winterkorn.

He’s held the position of CEO since 2007 and while he does admit that VW has seriously stuffed up, he asserts that he personally committed to misconduct. That said, his statement was a little vague, reading “I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part,” he said. Both the public and the media are also questioning why he succumbed to resignation pressure if he hadn’t done anything wrong.

EPA defeats "defeat devices" 

Just days ago the company admitted that in the US some of its diesel cards had been fitted with software engineered to dupe official emissions tests. Winterkorn did issue a video apology in a bid to salvage the situation however it wasn’t enough to save his job. Now, VW has confirmed that at least 11 million cars across the globe featured the defeat devices.

A successor has yet to be names although German media is shining the spotlight on Matthias Müller, head of the Volkswagen division that manufactures Porsche sports cars. Another likely candidate is Rupert Stadler, head of the VW Audi division. Outsiders in the running include head of Daimler trucks division, Wolfgang Bernhard.

While Winterkorn may no longer hold the position of CEO, he’s not exempt from the consequences of his company’s actions. The accusatory panel has stated that “In the view of the executive committee, criminal proceedings may be relevant due to the irregularities.”

VW may be trying to dupe the system but thankfully others are making every effort to slash global emissions.  ‘Mobile Monitoring Station Assesses Diesel Emissions’ explores how researchers in Greece are using a mobile deployed Gasmet FTIR multiparameter gas analyser to assess exhaust gas analysis for comparison with ambient air quality data. Apostolos Tsakis, of the Aerosol and Particle Technology Laboratory (APTL) of the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH) explains, “This enables us to undertake temporal and spatial air quality measurements from within traffic, measuring emissions during different traffic conditions.”