When Volkswagen’s Dieselgate fiasco went public late last year, the brand’s offices around the world were hit with a mix of shock, embarrassment, anger, and panic. Few people really know what went on behind closed doors, but now one former employee says he was instructed to delete data related to the emissions scandal, and when he refused, he was fired for it.
The Courthouse News Service reports that Daniel Donovan, a seven-year veteran of the company, is now suing his former employer for wrongful discharge. The suit claims Donovan became aware that VW’s IT department was deleting Dieselgate-related documents days after the EPA’s notice of violation of September 18, 2015. Troubled over the legal sanctions the automaker could face for obstruction of justice, he reported his findings to his supervisor. A short time later, he was out of a job.
“Donovan also asserts that he was fired because [Volkswagen Group of America] believed that Donovan was about to report the spoliation of evidence and obstruction of justice to the EPA and/or the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or some other public body,” the complaint reads. Donovan is currently seeking exemplary damages in Oakland County Circuit Court.
The sixth-month anniversary of Dieselgate is just days away, but the repercussions of the event are just getting started. The brand has completely reshuffled its management structure, and is in the midst of moving away from diesel completely in favor of electrified projects like the BUDD-e concept, which recently received a greenlight for production. Volkswagen is expected to face billions in fines.
Most recently, Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Michael Horn has stepped down. Horn first joined the Volkswagen team in 1990 and became President of Volkswagen Group of America in 2014. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Hinrich Woebcken.
Volkswagen’s newest EVs in China are making its American and European models look unusually conservative.
With Xpeng’s help, VW has introduced 800-volt charging and advanced urban driving assistance. The new VEGA technology package brings its locally developed vehicle platforms and CEA electronic architecture under one umbrella. Bloomberg reports that Volkswagen intends to update VEGA every three months. Western buyers can find pieces of that package, but not the whole thing in a Volkswagen.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?