A new car emissions test is underway in Germany, continuing the years-long “Dieselgate” saga in which millions of automobiles from Volkswagen Group – which includes VW, Audi and Porsche – were tested in a way that hid their true emissions.
Two former chairmen of the development board and two leading engineers face charges for their alleged roles in a massive environmental and trade scandal that first made global headlines a decade ago in a hearing that began in Munich in February.
The court proposed a suspended sentence of between 6 and 12 months as well as a financial penalty for the accused during plea negotiations with the trial, while noting that the engineers had been put in an impossible position by management – namely having to find a solution to the practically insoluble problem of creating a “clean diesel engine” as promised in VW Group advertising.
After weeks of closed-door meetings between prosecutors and defense lawyers aimed at finding a compromise, the presiding judge said Monday, “No compromise was reached.”
What does Audi have to do with ‘Dieselgate’?
Audi engineers were responsible for the development of the group’s low-emission diesel engines. In 2015, after a case was brought by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VW admitted to manipulating software in its engines to trick emissions-measuring computers.
Defense lawyers say their clients had no knowledge of the manipulation scheme and are not responsible for any wrongdoing.
Lawyers called for the charges to be dropped, also arguing that the statute of limitations for any potential crimes had expired.
The court said prosecutors had sought jail time, suggesting these could be converted to suspended sentences if the accused pleaded guilty.
In 2023, the same court gave former Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and two engineers suspended sentences and fines after they pleaded guilty.
The trial lasted for almost three years.
The failure to reach a settlement in this latest case also means it could drag on for years.