Audi Suspends Two Engineers in Emissions Probe

Volkswagen (VW) and Audi notified U.S. authorities last Thursday that about 85,000 vehicles with 3.0 litre V6 diesel engines were fitted with emissions-control equipment that was not disclosed to U.S. regulators, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said in a newspaper interview published today.

The news widened a scandal at parent VW which has led to the ouster of its long-time chief executive and wiped more than 20 billion euros ($21 billion) off the group’s market value.

Audi is now investigating whether employees in technical development and other departments deliberately manipulated emission-control devices and has suspended two engineers, Stadler said in an interview with the Donaukurier regional newspaper, without giving any further details.

The V6 diesel engine was designed and assembled by Audi at its factory in Neckarsulm, Germany and widely used in premium models sold by the group’s VW, Audi and Porsche brands in model years 2009 through 2016, Audi said on Monday.

The Audi suspensions take the number of officials confirmed to have been put on leave across the VW group as a result of its internal investigations to eight, including at least six senior individuals.

Ingolstadt-based Audi has said it failed to notify authorities in the United States of three so-called auxiliary emissions control devices (AECD) in luxury models, one of which is classified there as a banned “defeat device.”

The admission from Audi, which contributes about 40 percent to VW group profit, is raising pressure on Stadler, a 25 year VW group veteran who has led Audi for nine years.

Asked by Donaukurier about potential personal consequences, the 52-year-old Stadler said: “What’s at stake now is (to find out) the truth and I will not rest until everything is on the table.”

A spokesman for Audi’s works council, which has about half the seats on the carmaker’s supervisory board, said the company’s labor boss would comment on the situation later on Thursday.

Audi Chairman Berthold Huber “has expressed no criticism (of Stadler) whatsoever,” a VW spokesman said, citing a “continuous dialogue” between VW and the former IG Metall union chief.

Source: Reuters

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