VW’s NOxGate scandal: What did Germany know and when did they know it?

A 6-year Volkswagen scheme to defraud emissions regulators on NOx emissions, uncovered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and disclosed publicly in recent days, is leading to more investigations.

The German Government is denying reports that it “knew about VW emissions rigging but did nothing to stop it” according to a report in the UK’s Daily Telegraph. The charges stem from allegations by the German Greens that the government knew of the emissions controls devices, which prompted an ambiguous answer from the government until Transport Minister  Alexander Dobrindt flatly denied personally knowing of the scheme, without denying that the government as a whole was uninformed. Reuters is following that story here.

In Italy, regulators are not waiting on calls for an EU-wide investigation and have launched their own.

VW, meanwhile, confirmed that as many as 11 million of its cars are carrying “defeat devices” designed to evade pollution controls. The company said it has established a €6.5 billion euros pool to cover costs associated with the scandal, which could include fines, recalls or other measures aimed at restoring public trust in VW. Volkswagen Group share prices have fallen 35 percent this week, trading at $109.50, down from a high of $169.50 last week.

In Washington, the US Environmental Protection Agency has not yet ordered a recall of as many as 482,000 vehicles equipped with defeat devices, but is expected to do so.

We previously reported on earlier announced investigations in South Korea and Switzerland, here, and reaction from components maker Bosch, who said it was VW’s role to integrate and design the use of any component it ordered for its vehicles.