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Volkswagen's CEO Matthias Meuller and the chairman of the supervisory board Hans Dieter Pötsch used a press conference today to state both that Volkswagen was still pursuing those who had instigated the cheating software that was discovered on its EA189 engines and that the group was re-organising to make such malfeasance impossible in the future.
Hans Dieter Pötsch stressed that: "No business transaction justifies overstepping legal and ethical bounds." As a first step, nine managers who may have been involved in the manipulations were suspended. Pötsch emphasized: "I here and now guarantee that we will pursue our thorough investigation to its conclusion. I vouch for this personally, as does the entire Supervisory Board of Volkswagen."
Volkswagen has stressed that, in future, it's emissions tests will be done randomly (rather than on specially selected cars) and it will be externally evaluated. Real-world testing elements will also be introduced.
As of now, Volkswagen's internal investigation and an external one being carried out by auditors Jones Day, has amassed 102 terabytes of information on the chain of decisions, started a decade ago, that saw 'defeat device' software fitted to EA189 engines so that they could circumvent US emissions tests. Nine senior engineers have thus far been suspended as part of the investigation, although Volkswagen has not yet named them nor anyone else implicated in the scandal. A further update on the external investigation is expected to be given next April. When asked why it was going to take so long, the reply was that thoroughness was more important than speed. "The team with which we wish to address the challenges of the coming months and years is in place." The details of the new structure are to be worked out in the first quarter of 2016. The new structure will be in place Group-wide by the start of 2017.
Müller noted: "We can have the best people, and a great organization, but we can do nothing without the right attitude and mentality." During the upcoming process of change toward a new way of thinking, Volkswagen can build on its traditional strengths: quality consciousness, strong identification with its vehicles, and a high degree of social responsibility. According to Müller, the future will be about more open discussions, closer cooperation, and a willingness to allow mistakes if they are understood as an opportunity to learn. The Chairman of the Board of Management stated: "We don't need yes-men, but managers and engineers who make good arguments in support of their convictions and projects, who think and act like entrepreneurs. I am calling for people who are curious, independent, and pioneering. People who follow their instincts and are not merely guided by the possible consequences of impending failure. In short: the future at Volkswagen belongs to the bold. We need a little more Silicon Valley, coupled with the competence from Wolfsburg, Ingolstadt, Stuttgart, and the other Group locations."