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Interesting. So it was really all about the money... I wonder if other cheaper brands have made the same mistake... With a BMW or Benz 335 bucks per car is not worth mentioning.
What I think sucks is that if VW goes under, those responsible will still be wealthy, but lots of innocent people and entire families will be unemployed.
Maybe doom is in the DNA of that company, it was started by the Nazis
VW EXEC PLAYS THE BLAME GAME... “Michael Horn, head of Volkswagen Group of America, told a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee that engineers were responsible for [a defeat device to cheat emissions tests] and that senior Volkswagen officials were not aware of it. Even as members of the panel expressed skepticism, Horn confessed, ‘I agree it’s very hard to believe, … and personally I struggle as well.’ … Horn said the company is working to develop a fix for the 482,000 cars affected by the device.” (National Journal)
...AND SO DO REPUBLICANS. “Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, said the public should be disappointed in the EPA for not catching the Volkswagen scandal sooner nor being the group that actually caught the German automaker.” (Washington Examiner)
VOLKSWAGEN’S INFLUENCE. “The European Commission has laid out a proposal to require real-life conditions in testing new cars for the air pollutant nitrogen oxide, sparking a debate among governments over how soon and how hard those new rules should bite. ... [T]he European Commission is now pushing for speedy implementation of the new rules following disclosures that Volkswagen AG cheated on U.S. emissions tests.” (Wall Street Journal)
Most multinational corporations are greedy and many will cut corners to maximize profit. Apple, for instance, are holding over $181 billion in tax havens to avoid taxation.
Corruption is actually pretty common. It does not matter if the company is German, American, French or Norwegian. Some examples:
Siemens (DE): $1.6 billion in settlement
KBR/Halliburton (US): $579 million in settlement
BAE Systems (US): $448 million in settlement
Snamprogetti (NL): $240 million in settlement
Technip (FR): $240 million in settlement
Most multinational corporations are greedy and many will cut corners to maximize profit. Apple, for instance, are holding over $181 billion in tax havens to avoid taxation.
It's different to keep profits overseas than cheating/misleading consumers/polluting the environment and pretend to be a role model for ethics/doing business/making quality products. Btw, German companies are keeping profits overseas too(next door, to Switzerland).
It's all part of outsourcing, which is the plight of America nowadays. Hopefully this practice will come to an end(I hear Trump is serious about stopping it).
It's different to keep profits overseas than cheating/misleading consumers/polluting the environment and pretend to be a role model for ethics/doing business/making quality products. Btw, German companies are keeping profits overseas too(next door, to Switzerland).
It's all part of outsourcing, which is the plight of America nowadays. Hopefully this practice will come to an end(I hear Trump is serious about stopping it).
Is VW a role model? It is (was) mainly a profitable and fast-growing car manufacturer. Most of their low-end products are not any better than their competitors. The label "German engineering" applies mostly to mid and high-end products from Audi, Porsche and so on. The cheaper cars sold in the US (Jetta, Passat) are even inferior to the ones sold in Europe. Why? Because the competition is fierce and the prices and profit margins are lower. That might be one the reasons VW decided to cheat. The main reason was a dream of becoming the largest automaker in the world. Well, so much for that dream, Piëch and Winterkorn . I think German corporations are just as greedy and corrupt as anyone else. They are certainly not ethical role models. Deutsche bank is just as bad as Goldman Sachs.
Many multinational corporations funnel their money to tax havens. Swedish IKEA, for example, have done it for 40 years.
Did not the US start the outsourcing trend 30 years ago? Trump is also part of the system. Most of the crappy merchandise he sells is made in Mexico and Asia. He is such a hypocrite.
Is VW a role model? It is (was) mainly a profitable and fast-growing car manufacturer. Most of their low-end products are not any better than their competitors. The label "German engineering" applies mostly to mid and high-end products from Audi, Porsche and so on. The cheaper cars sold in the US (Jetta, Passat) are even inferior to the ones sold in Europe. Why? Because the competition is fierce and the prices and profit margins are lower. That might be one the reasons VW decided to cheat. The main reason was a dream of becoming the largest automaker in the world. Well, so much for that dream, Piëch and Winterkorn . I think German corporations are just as greedy and corrupt as anyone else. They are certainly not ethical role models. Deutsche bank is just as bad as Goldman Sachs.
Many multinational corporations funnel their money to tax havens. Swedish IKEA, for example, have done it for 40 years.
Did not the US start the outsourcing trend 30 years ago? Trump is also part of the system. Most of the crappy merchandise he sells is made in Mexico and Asia. He is such a hypocrite.
Role model for the Germans. VW is not just 'a company'. It's their flagship company (founded by you know who). When the company is perceived as an unethical entity, it reflects on the entire country. In essence, VW has tarnished the image they were projecting.
All exported models, from all manufacturers, are in some ways inferior. They are stripped down car models with less features offered. Jettas and Passats or even Audis and Porsches are no exception.
I don't care much about Trump or any politicians in general, however, his campaign claims he backs this nation's interests, not special interests(he's using his own money to run, so in theory he has no strings attached to the lobbies out there.)
Role model for the Germans. VW is not just 'a company'. It's their flagship company (founded by you know who). When the company is perceived as an unethical entity, it reflects on the entire country. In essence, VW has tarnished the image they were projecting.
All exported models, from all manufacturers, are in some ways inferior. They are stripped down car models with less features offered. Jettas and Passats or even Audis and Porsches are no exception.
I don't care much about Trump or any politicians in general, however, his campaign claims he backs this nation's interests, not special interests(he's using his own money to run, so in theory he has no strings attached to the lobbies out there.)
Walmart employs 1% of America. Is it a role model? No, I do not think (and hope) so. Neither is VW for the Germans, but it is, of course, very important for the German economy. Around 250k Germans work for the corporation.
Calling non-diesel versions of Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Audi inferior is a stupid thing to say. The 918 Spyder, for example, is one of the most advanced sports cars in the world. The 911 has been a sports car benchmark for decades. The Golf is still the hatchback benchmark in Europe.
I am pretty sure VW will bounce back in 3-4 years.
Because the competition is fierce and the prices and profit margins are lower. That might be one the reasons VW decided to cheat.
+1
VW has been struggling with this issue for years.
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I wonder if other cheaper brands have made the same mistake... With a BMW or Benz 335 bucks per car is not worth mentioning. 
