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One question that we have found ourselves wondering is who blew the whistle on the software cheat Volkswagen was using on their TDI models. A new book says it was someone at Volkswagen of America. Automotive News got their hands on Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal by New York Times reporter Jack Ewing. In the book, Ewing reveals that the head of VW’s Engineering and Environmental Office in the U.S., Stuart Johnson revealed the existence of the cheat to federal authorities. Johnson was the primary contact for the various regulation agencies in the U.S. and would be one of the people on the front lines when the scandal unfolded. In the book, CARB deputy executive director Alberto Ayala named Johnson as the person who revealed the existence of Volkswagen's illegal software. This revelation took place prior to a key meeting between CARB and Volkswagen on August 19, 2015. By revealing this information, Johnson was violating orders given by VW's higher ups. This meeting is mentioned in the federal indictment of Oliver Schmidt, a former VW executive who is facing 11 federal charges dealing with the scandal. Johnson is mentioned in the indictment as “Cooperating Witness 1.” The indictment also states the witness “has agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation in exchange for an agreement that the government will not prosecute CW1 in the United States.” Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article -
As the Diesel Emits: Who Blew the Whistle on Volkswagen's Cheating?
William Maley posted an article in Volkswagen
One question that we have found ourselves wondering is who blew the whistle on the software cheat Volkswagen was using on their TDI models. A new book says it was someone at Volkswagen of America. Automotive News got their hands on Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal by New York Times reporter Jack Ewing. In the book, Ewing reveals that the head of VW’s Engineering and Environmental Office in the U.S., Stuart Johnson revealed the existence of the cheat to federal authorities. Johnson was the primary contact for the various regulation agencies in the U.S. and would be one of the people on the front lines when the scandal unfolded. In the book, CARB deputy executive director Alberto Ayala named Johnson as the person who revealed the existence of Volkswagen's illegal software. This revelation took place prior to a key meeting between CARB and Volkswagen on August 19, 2015. By revealing this information, Johnson was violating orders given by VW's higher ups. This meeting is mentioned in the federal indictment of Oliver Schmidt, a former VW executive who is facing 11 federal charges dealing with the scandal. Johnson is mentioned in the indictment as “Cooperating Witness 1.” The indictment also states the witness “has agreed to cooperate with the government’s investigation in exchange for an agreement that the government will not prosecute CW1 in the United States.” Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) -
A new wrinkle has appeared in the Volkswagen diesel scandal. Last week, Daniel Donovan filed suit against Volkswagen of America for wrongful termination and breaking the Michigan Whistleblowers' Protection Act after reporting that the company continuing deleting data after the EPA said to stop. On September 18, the EPA filed a violation notice against Volkswagen's diesel vehicles. Part of that notice required Volkswagen to not delete any more data. Donovan alleges in the suit that workers at Volkswagen Group of America's data processing center in Auburn Hills, MI did not stop till September 21st. Donovan told his supervisor about this and tried to stop the deletions. A couple of months later, Donovan was fired. Donovan claims his firing was due to concerns Volkswagen of him reporting this to authorities. "The circumstances of Mr. Donovan's departure were unrelated to the diesel emissions issue. We believe his claim of wrongful termination is without merit," said Volkswagen in a statement to Autoblog. Unfortunately, we don't know what kind of data was deleted. But if these allegations are proven to be true, it doesn't matter what kind of data it was: Volkswagen violated the order and could be facing punishment for it. Source: Courthouse News Service, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Reuters, Autoblog View full article
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A new wrinkle has appeared in the Volkswagen diesel scandal. Last week, Daniel Donovan filed suit against Volkswagen of America for wrongful termination and breaking the Michigan Whistleblowers' Protection Act after reporting that the company continuing deleting data after the EPA said to stop. On September 18, the EPA filed a violation notice against Volkswagen's diesel vehicles. Part of that notice required Volkswagen to not delete any more data. Donovan alleges in the suit that workers at Volkswagen Group of America's data processing center in Auburn Hills, MI did not stop till September 21st. Donovan told his supervisor about this and tried to stop the deletions. A couple of months later, Donovan was fired. Donovan claims his firing was due to concerns Volkswagen of him reporting this to authorities. "The circumstances of Mr. Donovan's departure were unrelated to the diesel emissions issue. We believe his claim of wrongful termination is without merit," said Volkswagen in a statement to Autoblog. Unfortunately, we don't know what kind of data was deleted. But if these allegations are proven to be true, it doesn't matter what kind of data it was: Volkswagen violated the order and could be facing punishment for it. Source: Courthouse News Service, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Reuters, Autoblog -
Whistle-Blower To Have Cause The Departure Of Joel Ewanick
William Maley posted an article in General Motors
William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com August 8, 2012 Last week, we reported on the departure of GM's global marketing chief, Joel Ewanick. The reason given out at the time was Ewanick not meeting up to expectations. A day after his departure, a report from Bloomberg said Ewanick's departure was due to a review of a recent sponsorship agreement that didn't meet company policy. A week later, a new report from Bloomberg sheds some more light on why Ewanick was kicked out. The recent sponsorship agreement in question was a partnership between Chevrolet and U.K. soccer team Manchester United. The agreement, lasting till 2021, would have GM shelling out $18.6 million for this and next year, rising to roughly $70 million in 2014, and increasing 2.1% after that. Total cost of the deal: $559 million. This would have been ok if Ewanick hadn't spread the cost out to other marketing budgets and disclosing a price that was much less than the $559 million. A source tells Bloomberg that a whistle-blower came forward questioning certain aspects of the agreement between GM and Manchester United. An internal investigation was launched and found that the total cost was much higher and hidden in other budgets. Ewanick denied he was hiding anything about the deal during the investigation, but that soon unraveled. Ewanick's resignation was announced on July 29th. Source: Bloomberg William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. -
William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com August 8, 2012 Last week, we reported on the departure of GM's global marketing chief, Joel Ewanick. The reason given out at the time was Ewanick not meeting up to expectations. A day after his departure, a report from Bloomberg said Ewanick's departure was due to a review of a recent sponsorship agreement that didn't meet company policy. A week later, a new report from Bloomberg sheds some more light on why Ewanick was kicked out. The recent sponsorship agreement in question was a partnership between Chevrolet and U.K. soccer team Manchester United. The agreement, lasting till 2021, would have GM shelling out $18.6 million for this and next year, rising to roughly $70 million in 2014, and increasing 2.1% after that. Total cost of the deal: $559 million. This would have been ok if Ewanick hadn't spread the cost out to other marketing budgets and disclosing a price that was much less than the $559 million. A source tells Bloomberg that a whistle-blower came forward questioning certain aspects of the agreement between GM and Manchester United. An internal investigation was launched and found that the total cost was much higher and hidden in other budgets. Ewanick denied he was hiding anything about the deal during the investigation, but that soon unraveled. Ewanick's resignation was announced on July 29th. Source: Bloomberg William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article
