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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: 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.
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