BERLIN / LOS ANGELES / DETROIT (Reuters) – Volkswagen has made several versions of software designed to deceive pollutant emission tests, told Reuters three people familiar with the issue, potentially suggesting a complex cheating scheme committed by the German automaker.
During the Seven years confess fraud, Volkswagen changed illegal software for four types of engines, the sources said, including a manager at VW with knowledge of the subject and a US official close to the investigation.
VW spokesmen in Europe and the United States declined to comment on whether the company has developed multiple devices to defraud testing, stating that there are ongoing investigations by both the company as authorities in both regions.
Asked about the number of people who might have been aware of the fraud, a spokesperson of the company’s offices in Wolfsburg, Germany, said: “We are working hard to investigate who knew what and when, but it is still too early to say”
Some industry experts and analysts said that the existence of different device versions raises the possibility that a number of employees may be involved . Software engineers would have to obtain regular funding and knowledge of engine programming, they said.
The number of people involved is a key issue for investors because it can affect the size of potential fines and extent of changes in the company’s management, said Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst at Evercore ISI consultancy.
“The more senior people are involved, the more the company is held responsible and worthy of further punishment serious, “said Brandon Garrett, corporate crime expert at the Law School of the University of Virginia in the United States.
The Volkswagen admitted on September 18 have used software that could identify when a vehicle diesel was being tested and thereby temporarily reduce toxic emissions of gases to get through the north regulators tests American early.
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