Ex-Volkswagen Head Charged in Connection With 'Dieselgate'
Ex-Volkswagen Head Charged in Connection With 'Dieselgate'
The Facts
The criminal trial of former Volkswagen (VW) CEO Martin Winterkorn began Tuesday, nine years after he and his company were accused of violating emissions testing rules.
The 2015 scandal for which Winterkorn is now on trial, dubbed 'dieselgate,' involved the company installing software in 9M diesel-powered vehicles to create false emissions readings. This violated both European and US regulations.
The Spin
While it's nice that the Volkswagen executives responsible for Dieselgate have faced justice, it can't be forgotten that their crimes severely damaged the climate and public health. Despite the discovery of Volkswagen's fraudulent emissions tests, millions of those toxic vehicles remained on the road putting thousands of lives at risk of pollution-related death.
It's quite ironic that this trial begins just as Volkswagen announces the possibility of factory closures. The green energy theology behind this trial is the same one that's led to China outcompeting European automanufactures. It's also the same one whose policies forced European companies to backtrack on their impossible electric vehicle promises.
