From diesel emissions to omitting the driver

Autonomous vehicles will become a challenge for cities and governments

The scandal over diesel vehicle emissions, which this week led to Volkswagen paying $4.3bn and pleading guilty to three felony charges in the US, represents the worst of the industry’s past. It shows how “clean diesel” was not as clean as promised and how VW used deception to hide it. read more »

Takata to plead guilty, pay $1 billion U.S. penalty over air bag defects

Japan's Takata Corp on Friday agreed to plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing and pay $1 billion to resolve a U.S. Justice Department investigation into ruptures of its air bag inflators linked to at least 16 deaths worldwide. read more »

Volkswagen’s Diesel Scandal: Who Has Been Charged?

A star troubleshooter known as “the fireman.” The head of the team that developed a new diesel engine. The executive dealing with American regulators.

If there was any argument that Volkswagen’s diesel scandal was carried out by a small group of low-level employees, charges filed by the Department of Justice sharply undermine it.

The executives charged worked across multiple Volkswagen divisions, painting a portrait of an organized deception carried out over several years. Prosecutors allege that they collectively directed engineers to fit the company’s cars with “defeat devices,” which changed vehicle settings so they spewed fewer pollutants during tests by regulators than they did on the road. read more »

U.S. senator seeks probe of Fiat Chrysler diesel marketing

A top U.S. senator on Friday called for wider federal scrutiny into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's marketing of diesel-powered SUVs, as British regulators sought answers from the Italian-American automaker in the aftermath of Volkswagen AG's emissions scandal.

Shares of Fiat Chrysler slid 2.2 percent after Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, urged the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to probe whether Fiat Chrysler had deceptively marketed its diesel-powered SUVs. read more »

How a Top-Secret Deal Could Have Stopped VW's Diesel Scandal

Alliance talks involved discussions of cross shareholdings

Volkswagen favored its diesel technology over Daimler’s

Volkswagen AG might have stayed clear of the diesel cheating that led to the worst crisis in its history had the company not pulled out of a promising deal with Daimler AG more than a decade ago. read more »