Until now, the driving spheres of Volkswagen had been relatively spared by the Dieselgate. Only Martin Winterkorn, the boss of the group during the first revelations in September 2015, was pushed to the start.
The detention of Rupert Stadler, one of the strongmen of the group, for “fraud” and “complicity in false certificates” of the chairman of the board of directors of Audi, marks a break for the manufacturer and opens a gaping gap in his defense . The man explains from the beginning that the management was not aware of what was happening in its research centers – and therefore not really responsible for the deception. A situation that makes investors react. “Almost three years after the start of the diesel scandal, it must be the police who take action against the boss of Audi,” annoy analysts Evercore.
It is also a step backwards for the Volkswagen communication, which has done everything in recent weeks, to close the “scandal sequence”. Two months ago, the group’s board decided to change leaders , replacing Matthias Müller by Herbert Diess, who was responsible for the Volkswagen brand. Last week, the manufacturer had also explained not wanting to appeal the fine of 1 billion euros bailed in Germany .
Promotion
Las, the German justice seems to have decided otherwise by incarcerating, before his judgment, Rupert Stadler. Boss of the Audi brand since 2007 and claiming leadership of the giant Wolfsburg, close to Ferdinand Piëch had saved his head last summer, during a major reshuffle within the council of the brand rings. Better, before being caught by the judges, he was propelled sales boss and premium division at the arrival of Herbert Diess . This time, “the supervisory board can not escape” a “new start at Audi”, Judge Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, Center Automotive Research.
With this incarceration, it is a close family shareholders Porsche and Piech, leaving the scene. But if it weakens Volkswagen, this case could also serve Herbert Diess, allowing him to appoint a man in his hand to this post. She also reminds the boss of the group that he will have to deal with justice in Europe as in the United States. And especially since he himself is in the sights of the Brunswick prosecutor’s office for “course manipulation” , suspected of being late in informing investors of the risks associated with engine rigging. A sword of Damocles, which could seriously complicate the task of the defector of BMW, while it must move Volkswagen into the age of electricity and inculcate a new culture.