Public infighting unleashed at Volkswagen group by "dieselgate", cartel scandals

Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-25 19:20:06|Editor: Xiang Bo
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BERLIN, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Volkswagen Group CEO Mathias Mueller lashed out at Uwe Hueck, head of Porsche's workers' council in the German newspaper Heilbronner Stimme Tuesday as infighting at the Volkswagen Group of German carmakers spilled out into the public.

Mueller criticized Hueck's statement on Monday that Porsche had been "betrayed" by the "tricks" of corporate sister company Audi, as well as his call for the supervisory board to explain itself to employees.

"There is certainly no need for the supervisory board to be told how to do its job." Mueller told the newspaper.

According to Mueller, Hueck's comments were "anything but helpful", and did not adequately reflect Volkswagen's corporate culture.

"We should talk with each other, not about each other," Mueller added.

Volkswagen Group is the joint owner of leading automotive brands Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi. Along with other German carmakers, the group is being rocked by allegations of illicit industry collusions which follow close on the heels of a global emissions cheating scandal.

Manufacturers including Volkswagen stand accused of having installed illegal software, which understated the nitrogen oxide pollution levels of certain diesel motors in test conditions.

Volkswagen Group was the first German carmaker which was revealed to have engaged in such "emission cheating" in 2015. A U.S. federal judge ruled in April 2017 that Volkswagen "must pay a 2.8 billion dollar criminal fine for rigging diesel-powered vehicles to cheat on government emissions tests."

Mueller was thin-lipped with regards to more recent claims that his firm was part of an illegal cartel which has met since the 1990s to coordinate vehicle technology, cost, suppliers, markets and strategy with each other.

"Concerning the current state of affairs, all I can say is that we do not comment on speculations and assumptions of fact based on media reports," Mueller said, noting that not all forms of technical cooperation between car manufacturers were illicit.

Mueller was instead keen to turn the subject to electric mobility, where he has recently expressed an eagerness to cooperate with German and European authorities in order to gradually phase out diesel and combustion engines.

"In the future, we will be able to offer electric vehicles with a reach of up to 600 kilometers at a comparable price to diesel vehicles," he said.

Nonetheless, Mueller expressed the view that Diesel remained an important affordable technology needed to lower CO2 emissions.

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