US Volkswagen CEO apologises for emissions scandal but says it’s not his fault
Michael Horn says a 'tiny group of software developers in Germany' was responsible for the computer code that enabled the cars to trick US government emissions tests
Volkswagen’s top US executive offered deep apologies yet sought to distance himself on Thursday from the emissions scandal enveloping the world’s largest automaker, asserting top corporate officials had no knowledge of the cheating software installed in 11 million diesel cars.
Though he said he had not been briefed on the preliminary findings of the ongoing internal investigation, Volkswagen of America CEO Michael Horn told a congressional subcommittee that a tiny group of software developers in Germany was responsible for the computer code that enabled the cars to trick US government emissions tests. Three lower-level managers have been suspended.
“To my understanding this was not a corporate decision, this was something individuals did,” Horn said, adding that he felt personally deceived.
That explanation left members of the House panel investigating the scheme incredulous.
“I agree it’s very hard to believe,” Horn conceded.
Congressman Chris Collins, was among the lawmakers who said he could not accept VW’s characterisation that “this was the work of a couple of rogue engineers”. Collins, an engineer, suggested that such a far-reaching cheating strategy couldn’t be pulled off without the complicity of high-ranking supervisors across several parts of the company.