US courts indict four Audi managers in continued Dieselgate probe – Roadshow

The blowback from emissions cheating on Audi’s 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine continues with the indictment of four engineers who worked on the engine.


Josh Miller/CNET

Audi is back in the news for its involvement in Dieselgate as a Detroit court indicted four managers from the luxury brand on Thursday, according to a report by Reuters.

Richard Bauder, Axel Eiser, Stefan Knirsch and Carsten Nagel all worked for Audi’s engine development department in Germany and are just the latest Volkswagen Group employees to face the music in the US for their involvement in the diesel emissions-cheating scandal that has been rocking the automotive industry since 2015.

The US court is playing the role of a paper tiger here since all four of the engineers are believed to be in Germany, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be returning to the US to face their accusers. This round of indictments is the first to go to an Audi employee since 2017 when the courts also brought charges against Giovanni Pamio, another Audi manager.

The four Audi managers are being charged with violating the Clean Air Act, wire fraud and conspiracy and could face jail time if apprehended and convicted.

The Audi engines that were the prime culprits in Dieselgate are the 3.0-liter TDI engine that found its way into most of Audi’s lineup as well as several Porsche and Volkswagen models.

source: cnet.com