Scrutiny, recalls, and more recalls. It ain't over yet.
When your parent company actively engages in emissions cheating, there will be far reaching consequences for all of its brands. Audi is fully aware of this. After all, it played a big role in Volkswagen Group’s diesel offerings, until it all came crashing down a couple of years ago. And the after affects are still being felt today. Reuters reports that current Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said earlier this month that, following an additional recall for 60,000 cars, the luxury brand is still not in the clear.
![]()
“We are still running into issues that we report immediately to regulators,”
he said. “The diesel crisis hasn’t yet ended.” For Stadler, this is also
personal. The CEO asked workers to ignore media reports claiming his exit is
imminent. Apparently Volkswagen wants to force out people who were in leadership
positions when the scandal broke, and Stadler has been at the helm of Audi since
2010. Point being is the guy has a cloudy history as far as VW management is
concerned. However, Stadler has no intention of going anywhere. “I feel
responsibility, and as long as I have the full support of the supervisory board
and management, I accept this responsibility to solve the problem and lead the
company into the future.”
![]()
Stadler was obviously questioned by investigating authorities regarding what
he possibly knew (or didn’t) regarding what became Dieselgate, but has since
been cleared of wrongdoing. Today, he wants to steer the ship clear before
eventually retiring. While more recalls regarding diesel-engined Audis are
likely and expected even by Stadler himself, the guy clearly wants to fix what’s
been wronged. At the same, he wants to set Audi on the right path towards
electrification. Only a few days ago, we learned the brand is preparing a new electric supercar equipped with solid-state
batteries. Before that model arrives, the e-tron GT, a direct rival to the Tesla Model S,
is expected in 2020.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
When your parent company actively engages in emissions cheating, there will be far reaching consequences for all of its brands. Audi is fully aware of this. After all, it played a big role in Volkswagen Group’s diesel offerings, until it all came crashing down a couple of years ago. And the after affects are still being felt today. Reuters reports that current Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said earlier this month that, following an additional recall for 60,000 cars, the luxury brand is still not in the clear.
“We are still running into issues that we report immediately to regulators,”
he said. “The diesel crisis hasn’t yet ended.” For Stadler, this is also
personal. The CEO asked workers to ignore media reports claiming his exit is
imminent. Apparently Volkswagen wants to force out people who were in leadership
positions when the scandal broke, and Stadler has been at the helm of Audi since
2010. Point being is the guy has a cloudy history as far as VW management is
concerned. However, Stadler has no intention of going anywhere. “I feel
responsibility, and as long as I have the full support of the supervisory board
and management, I accept this responsibility to solve the problem and lead the
company into the future.”
Stadler was obviously questioned by investigating authorities regarding what
he possibly knew (or didn’t) regarding what became Dieselgate, but has since
been cleared of wrongdoing. Today, he wants to steer the ship clear before
eventually retiring. While more recalls regarding diesel-engined Audis are
likely and expected even by Stadler himself, the guy clearly wants to fix what’s
been wronged. At the same, he wants to set Audi on the right path towards
electrification. Only a few days ago, we learned the brand is preparing a new electric supercar equipped with solid-state
batteries. Before that model arrives, the e-tron GT, a direct rival to the Tesla Model S,
is expected in 2020.
