What's at stake for Volkswagen
Shareprice
Stocks have dropped since Sept. 18, 2015 when the EPA accused VW of software that deceives regulators measuring emissions in diesel cars.
Voting rights distribution, as of Dec. 31, 2015
Outside investors have little influence over the company's direction with most of the voting bloc controlled by Porsche, Lower Saxony and Qatar.
Vehicles affected, as of Dec. 31, 2015*
With many of its brands affected by the affair, including the Audi luxury division, VW has struggled to rebuild its reputation.
*1.2L, 1.6L, 2.0L and 3.0L TDI
What we know about the 2015 scandal
Switch software
Software in the car’s electronic control module (ECM) determines where the car is being driven (i.e. highway, road, testing) by analysing a series of factors.
FACTORS ANALYSED
Position of steering
Vehicle speed
Duration of engine operation
Barometric pressure
Being tested
Mode switches to “dyno calibration,” as software recognises vehicle is taking emission test.
Result
EPA compliant emission levels produced.
Normal operation
Mode switches to “road calibration,” as software recognises vehicle is in normal operation.
Result
Effectiveness of emission control system reduced, increasing Nitrogen oxide levels to 10 to 40 times above standards.
What we know about recent Audi developments
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Germany's Bild am Sonntag reported on Nov. 6 that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) had this summer discovered cheating software in an older Audi model, which is unrelated to the device that triggered last year's diesel emissions test-cheating scandal at parent VW
Position of steering
The software in CARB’s discovery is said to have allowed Porsche to detect whether a steering wheel was turned. Regulators are now probing whether this software was used by Audi to detect whether a vehicle was being subjected to emissions testing, and to lower a car’s carbon dioxide output, Bild said.
Who are the key players in the VW affair
Arrests related to VW's emissions curbing
Sources: Thomson Reuters Datastream (share price); Volkswagen (shareholder struture and cars affected); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2015 sofware scandal)
By Gustavo Cabrera, Michael Ovaska and Jessica Wang | REUTERS GRAPHICS