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An Anonymous Coward offers the following:
Volkswagen has admitted that more models gamed the emissions test, nearly doubling the number of cars affected. This now includes some Audi and Porsche models and other VW brands. From http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-volkswagen-problems-expand-20151105-story.html
The latest developments followed Volkswagen's admission Tuesday that it had understated the carbon dioxide emissions for 800,000 cars, widening the scope of the scandal.
Bob Lutz comments on a very toxic management culture at VW and offers his explanation for where things went sideways, http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a27197/bob-lutz-vw-diesel-fiasco/, suggesting that the management ruled by fear and threats.
And, a quote from a conversation with the dictator (former VW boss Ferdinand Piëch) about tight (high quality) body panel fits on a VW, Lutz remembers:
...
"Yeah. I wish we could get close to that at Chrysler.""I'll give you the recipe. I called all the body engineers, stamping people, manufacturing, and executives into my conference room. And I said, 'I am tired of all these lousy body fits. You have six weeks to achieve world-class body fits. I have all your names. If we do not have good body fits in six weeks, I will replace all of you. Thank you for your time today.' "
This must really be serious now, none of the articles I saw used "xyz-gate" -- instead calling it a scandal or similar.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 06 2015, @02:18AM
Okay, asshole. We'll dust off our resumés and write "Lutz is a putz" on the inside of every wheel well till we get hired somewhere else or go on the dole.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @02:20AM
This is exactly the shit that Steve would do, but you all call him a genius.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 06 2015, @02:37AM
Apple homos suffered from Stockholm syndrome. They still do to this day. I see the ripple effects with people saying swift is a decent language, and objective-C was a good language to begin with.
The difference between AAPL homos and everybody else is that everybody else will leave when given a better offer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @02:39AM
Sorry, forgot the linky for the uninformed:
Stockholm syndrome [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @10:18AM
...swift is a decent language, and objective-C was a good language to begin with
I hate them both with a red-hot intensity that would frighten most people.
Carry on.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Friday November 06 2015, @03:01AM
You are actually far more right than you know.
This "very toxic management culture at VW" could not have kept this secret by inducing fear alone. Did no one get fired over that time, did no one quit for a better job somewhere else? (There are hints in the press that the people that discovered the discrepancy were tipped off).
There is more to this than meets the eye, and I still suspect involvement of the company that wrote the engine management software (Bosch). [bosch.co.za]
I wonder if they had a mutual blackmail arrangement?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @03:09AM
More likely that VW had a small sequestered group specifically to do this stuff and they just checked the code into the version control system. All audit requirements were signed off by someone senior so scrutiny was avoided and that small group were paid to keep their mouths shut.
> There are hints in the press that the people that discovered the discrepancy were tipped off
Like what hints? The entire story of how the NOX cheating was discovered is well known. No tip offs - just a guy looking to prove that because VW is able to pass EPA tests any manufacturer ought to be able to pass the more lax EU standards. He wasn't looking to take VW down, he was looking to use them as a shining example of good engineering.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @06:39AM
> There are hints in the press that the people that discovered the discrepancy were tipped off
A source, which could not be independently verified, confirmed some random 'fact' that happens to suit someone and not suit someone else, etc etc etc. This is 80% of what passes for news and they get away with it because so few people think critically.
VW makes excellent cars, some of the world's best. They may not pass government emission standards, but they are pretty damn efficient, reliable and well designed. Zero emission cars are on the way but if you are in the market for a car today, you won't find a cost effective one yet - so VW is a good choice. Let the governments get all upset by it, but I for one am pretty happy with the bargains to be had because of this overblown issue.
(Score: 2) by FakeBeldin on Friday November 06 2015, @10:36AM
"Zero emission"? Ha!
A recent environmental study from German and Norwegian institutes focused on how much car *tyres* pollute. In a nutshell: car tyres are one of the largest contributors of microplastics to the environment.
Heck, I'll submit it as a story right now. For those curious: http://www.environment.no/Topics/Waste/Microplastics/#C [environment.no]
(Score: 2) by M. Baranczak on Friday November 06 2015, @04:45AM
(Score: 3, Informative) by zocalo on Friday November 06 2015, @09:18AM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @02:19AM
That was exactly how Richard Nixon was reputed to have run his White House. "Don't give me excuses, I want results". So his two top aides, Haldeman and Ehrlichman, recruited a bunch of common criminals (the "plumbers") to do their deeds.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @10:23AM
"Don't give me excuses, I want results".
Sounds like management at my job...our response is to just ship buggy and untested software. At least we're still employed!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Whoever on Friday November 06 2015, @03:31AM
This is not some "right-to-work" state in the USA, this is Germany. It might be easy to withhold promotions, but firing someone? Hah! Firing someone immediately? That's crazy talk.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @03:56AM
I thought it was a good read. My favorite profiles were of BMW CEO Eberhard von Kuenheim and of course Lee Iacocca; those chapters were fun to read (though I probably would be a bit wary of working for someone with personalities like either of those executives). But the profiles that I was the most afraid of were:
However, note that Bob Lutz is not immune to delusional self-flattery. In "Icons and Idiots", he unapologetically defended the Hummer H2, and derided its detractors. Even in this blog article, notice his ranking of past automotive PR fiascos:
All of the above scandals are arguably the cause of intentional misconduct, which executive leadership at each automaker may or may not have been involved in. But do you notice that the scandal that occurred during Lutz's tenure is the scandal with the lowest rank?
That being said, Lutz's contribution to the fun aspects of the automotive world can't be denied. He was involved with the BMW 3.0 CSL and the 2002 Turbo (as well as the "3 / 5 / 7 series" naming scheme, which replaced the previous displacement-based model numbers that were about to spur complete confusion prior to an engine redesign phase). He was the driving force behind the Dodge Viper, as well as a key proponent of the 5th-generation Chevrolet Camaro.
Lutz is one of those business leaders who I wouldn't trust 100% of the time, but I can see that he has a strong work ethic, and a no-nonsense approach. We need more executives with that kind of approach, and not the Piëchs and Bezoses of the business world.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 07 2015, @12:55AM
We need more executives with that kind of approach, and not the Piëchs and Bezoses of the business world.
We don't need executives. :)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 07 2015, @01:52AM
Actually, I think we do need them. The problem is, they are so very highly over rated, they have begun to think of themselves as minor gods. What we need, are executives who understand their place in the grand scheme of things. Executives belong on the floor, among the workers, listening and learning. Executives should be capable of performing every job over which they have decision making authority. Executives should have worked their way up through the ranks, rather than being assigned a big desk right out of college. We need executives, what we don't need are executives with a sense of entitlement.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @04:18AM
Every gas or diesel engine out there would fail the emissions test if it were measured under acceleration. On acceleration the CO & HC peg the meters. Doing a static test at a steady RPM has and always will be bullshit. It needs to be tested in parts per mile in real world road test conditions.
(Score: 4, Informative) by M. Baranczak on Friday November 06 2015, @04:37AM
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Friday November 06 2015, @05:15AM
GP didn't say that the standards are impossible to meet, but that cars don't meet the standard during heavy acceleration which is true. They aren't required to meet the emissions targets at WOT and aren't tested for it. Since most people aren't driving with the pedal on the floor all the time it isn't seen as a problem. But one may choose to call it a legal loophole.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @04:38AM
I've heard similar...but have not seen a real reference. Care to provide emission test results from WOT operation?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @02:08PM
At least Ford and Dodge go full rich when the ECM sees full throttle signal from the TPS,
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 06 2015, @09:45PM
If they didn't do this, they would go full lean.
The problem would be if they went PAST stoichiometric for that CFM.
For instance, I have an old car. '79 chevy. 350 gen I block, 4 barrel Quadrajet.
I need tailpipe emissions tested annually. At idle (775 RPM +/-) and at 2500 RPM (+/-)
All measurements last time were less than a quarter of the allowable levels. (and quite close to each other at both throttle levels)
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Friday November 06 2015, @04:58AM
There aren't any emissions controls for CO2. What's the point in fudging the numbers on it? They might as well have said their shit also doesn't stink.
(Score: 1) by danellisuk on Friday November 06 2015, @09:29AM
In the UK the annual vehicle tax depends purely on the CO2 emissions.
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables/rates-for-cars-registered-on-or-after-1-march-2001 [www.gov.uk]
(Score: 2) by fritsd on Friday November 06 2015, @10:05AM
In Sweden the CO2-"utsläpp" is also a large factor in the car tax:
https://www.skatteverket.se/privat/skatter/biltrafik/fordonsskatt.4.18e1b10334ebe8bc80003864.html#personbilar [skatteverket.se]
So if your car produces less than the threshold of 111 gram CO2 / km then you don't have to pay.
It's a bit confusing, because the yearly car test tests the *CO* not the *CO2* production.
CO2 is estimated as a function of the car's engine type and weight. Makes sense: the weight determines how much fuel you have to burn to get the thing moving. Assuming a lambda value of 1 (complete burning of fuel -> CO2 + water). And a deviation of the complete burning is tested by the yearly "bilprovning" test.
Weight also is the largest factor in wear-and-tear on the public roads, I think, so that one factor is the "cleanest" estimator variable to determine the tax.
(Score: 2) by choose another one on Friday November 06 2015, @01:32PM
There aren't any CO2 limits for _individual_ cars, although it may affect tax bands, but EU mfrs do have to meet fleet average CO2 targets - currently 130 g/km I believe (which is a 50mpg average for petrol, slightly more for diesels ).