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Volkswagen Boss Blames Software Engineers For Scandal (bbc.co.uk)

Posted by samzenpus on from the who's-to-blame dept.

hattig writes: Today VW's Michael Horn is testifying to Congress and has blamed the recent scandal on engineers saying: "It's the decision of a couple of software engineers, not the board members." However, 530,000 cars in the U.S. will need to be recalled for significant engine modifications, not a software fix. Only 80,000 Passats are eligible for the software fix. There is no word on the effects these modifications will have on the cars' performance, fuel consumption, etc. The BBC reports: "The issue of defeat devices at VW has been a historic problem, points out a Congress panel member questioning VW US chief Michael Horn. In 1974, VW had a run-in with US authorities regarding the use of defeat devices in 1974, and in December 2014 it recalled cars to address nox emissions."

3 of 479 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Bullshit ... by Doke · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes. They omitted the diesel exhaust fluid (urea) injection system. I heard it saved about $400 per car.

  2. Re:Oh, bullshit by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/vw...

    That article explains a lot.

    So, VW hired a top engineer away from Daimler to revamp the VW line. He brought in clean-diesel technology ("BlueTec") licensed from Daimler, but the engineers at VW hated the idea of licensing technology from a rival, because they said they could do just as good with the turbocharged direct injection designs that they'd been working on for years. Nevertheless, VW went through with an engine design with the licensed BlueTec, made a prototype engine... and then the CEO got pushed out, the chief engineer got pushed out a month later, and the new CEO put the engineers who'd opposed licensing outside technology in charge of making a new VW clean-diesel engine and cancelled the license from Daimler. So, they had essentially doubled down on the bet that they could do just as good on efficiency and NOx emissions without licensing the Daimler BlueTec, And right as they did that, the new CEO announced ambitious targets for selling clean diesels in the US.

    The story is beginning to make a bit more sense now.

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  3. Re:Cultural? by The+Grassy+Knoll · · Score: 5, Informative

    It did in the building industry

    [snip]For 16 years the Consulting Association compiled a secret database on thousands of construction workers[/snip]

    --
    They will never know the simple pleasure of a monkey knife fight