Latest news with #VWs
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
4 former Volkswagen managers convicted in ‘dieselgate' fraud
A German court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud on Monday and a decade after 'Dieselgate' exposed deceptive devices installed in many Volkswagen models to pass emissions tests. Jens Hadler was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and formerly was Volkswagen's diesel engine development chief, the New York Times reported. Hanno Jelden, a former VW engine electronics manager, received a sentence of two years and seven months in prison. Defendants Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a former systems development manager, and a former emissions expert identified as 'Thorsten D.,' received suspended sentences of 15 months and 22 months in prison, respectively. A judicial panel in Braunschweig, Germany, entered its verdicts in the court that is located close to Volkswagen's headquarters in nearby Wolfsburg. Panel chairman Judge Christian Schutz called the defendants a 'gang' and said they were guilty of 'particularly serious' fraud, the New York Times reported. He said Hadler knew of the emissions-testing defeat devices that manipulated software to ensure the vehicles would pass emissions tests since at least September 2007. Only a relatively small number of people within Volkswagen knew of the device's existence, according to emails used as evidence in the case. The trial lasted almost four years in the 'dieselgate' emissions scandal that was exposed when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2015 reported many diesel-powered VW models contained deceptive emissions-monitoring devices, Politico reported. The 'defeat devices' detected when system emissions testing was underway and automatically adjusted engine performance to ensure the respective vehicles met environmental standards. Berlin's Federal Court of Justice in 2020 ordered Volkswagen to pay up to $31,000 to each of about 60,000 German owners of diesel-powered VWs. The automaker paid billions of dollars in settlements for installing defeat devices on about 10 million vehicles sold in the U.S., Germany and other markets around the globe. Legal cases remain open against 31 other defendants, but former VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn is not among them due to health concerns, MarketWatch reported. Winterkorn has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
4 former Volkswagen managers convicted in ‘dieselgate' fraud
May 26 (UPI) -- A German court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud on Monday and a decade after "Dieselgate" exposed deceptive devices installed in many Volkswagen models to pass emissions tests. Jens Hadler was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and formerly was Volkswagen's diesel engine development chief, the New York Times reported. Hanno Jelden, a former VW engine electronics manager, received a sentence of two years and seven months in prison. Defendants Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a former systems development manager, and a former emissions expert identified as "Thorsten D.," received suspended sentences of 15 months and 22 months in prison, respectively. A judicial panel in Braunschweig, Germany, entered its verdicts in the court that is located close to Volkswagen's headquarters in nearby Wolfsburg. Panel chairman Judge Christian Schutz called the defendants a "gang" and said they were guilty of "particularly serious" fraud, the New York Times reported. He said Hadler knew of the emissions-testing defeat devices that manipulated software to ensure the vehicles would pass emissions tests since at least September 2007. Only a relatively small number of people within Volkswagen knew of the device's existence, according to emails used as evidence in the case. The trial lasted almost four years in the "dieselgate" emissions scandal that was exposed when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2015 reported many diesel-powered VW models contained deceptive emissions-monitoring devices, Politico reported. The "defeat devices" detected when system emissions testing was underway and automatically adjusted engine performance to ensure the respective vehicles met environmental standards. Berlin's Federal Court of Justice in 2020 ordered Volkswagen to pay up to $31,000 to each of about 60,000 German owners of diesel-powered VWs. The automaker paid billions of dollars in settlements for installing defeat devices on about 10 million vehicles sold in the U.S., Germany and other markets around the globe. Legal cases remain open against 31 other defendants, but former VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn is not among them due to health concerns, MarketWatch reported. Winterkorn has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
UPI
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- UPI
4 former Volkswagen managers convicted in 'dieselgate' fraud
May 26 (UPI) -- A German court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud on Monday and a decade after "Dieselgate" exposed deceptive devices installed in many Volkswagen models to pass emissions tests. Jens Hadler was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and formerly was Volkswagen's diesel engine development chief, the New York Times reported. Hanno Jelden, a former VW engine electronics manager, received a sentence of two years and seven months in prison. Defendants Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a former systems development manager, and a former emissions expert identified as "Thorsten D.," received suspended sentences of 15 months and 22 months in prison, respectively. A judicial panel in Braunschweig, Germany, entered its verdicts in the court that is located close to Volkswagen's headquarters in nearby Wolfsburg. Panel chairman Judge Christian Schutz called the defendants a "gang" and said they were guilty of "particularly serious" fraud, the New York Times reported. He said Hadler knew of the emissions-testing defeat devices that manipulated software to ensure the vehicles would pass emissions tests since at least September 2007. Only a relatively small number of people within Volkswagen knew of the device's existence, according to emails used as evidence in the case. The trial lasted almost four years in the "dieselgate" emissions scandal that was exposed when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2015 reported many diesel-powered VW models contained deceptive emissions-monitoring devices, Politico reported. The "defeat devices" detected when system emissions testing was underway and automatically adjusted engine performance to ensure the respective vehicles met environmental standards. Berlin's Federal Court of Justice in 2020 ordered Volkswagen to pay up to $31,000 to each of about 60,000 German owners of diesel-powered VWs. The automaker paid billions of dollars in settlements for installing defeat devices on about 10 million vehicles sold in the U.S., Germany and other markets around the globe. Legal cases remain open against 31 other defendants, but former VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn is not among them due to health concerns, MarketWatch reported. Winterkorn has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Science
- West Australian
Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day: Bee scientist Kit Prendergast among list of high-calibre speakers
Wild bee scientist Kit Prendergast will be among the speakers at this year's Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day, with plans to talk about her research on supporting native bees. When you begin to grow a garden, an amazing thing happens. As with any passion — stamps, cars, vintage war paraphernalia — our brains become so attuned to the objects of our fascination that we suddenly start seeing them everywhere. You develop an obsession with old VWs and suddenly the roads are filled with them. You get into native Australian banksias and all at once they line the streets. Of course, they were there all along, hiding right under your nose, waiting for you to take an interest. In the garden, this happens most often with the plants we learn to love and identify. But there is another world existing amongst the things we grow that is equally invisible until we decide to take an interest: the world of the native bees that visit our plants. Kit Prendergast — wild bee ecologist, author, and science communicator — knows this better than most. She has spent years studying the little-known native bees of WA, advocating for their protection and for continued research into their lives, behaviours and the habitats that support them. In the past few years, Kit's work has led to the discovery of a native bee species that had not previously been identified (she named it Leioproctus Zephyr, in honour of her dog Zephyr). But there are countless other native bee species flitting and flying among us that are yet to be identified, with some estimates suggesting less than half of WA's native bees are known to researchers. Without proper research and funding, we do not know whether these species are endangered, where they live, what they eat or what vital roles they may play in our ecosystem. Kit, 'The Bee Babette', speaks for the bees and, closer to home, is now growing her own garden to support them. 'We only moved in to our place in the Perth Hills at the start of December and what I loved about it — and why I chose it — was that it's got beautiful open garden spaces and is pretty much on a bush block,' Kit tells me from her sunny backyard. Kit, her partner and baby daughter have moved into a pre-established garden that she is slowly but surely making her mark on. 'There's a lot of exotics in this garden, which isn't my preference,' she explains, 'because native bees definitely prefer native flowers.' Ms Prendergast will be among the list of high-calibre speakers at this year's Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day, with plans to discuss the best way to support native bees in a home garden environment — with bee hotels, appropriate flora and all the information one might need on native bees. 'The Field Day ties in with World Bee Day, which is May 20,' she said. 'I'll be shining a light on the unsung heroes of Aussie bee biodiversity, our native bees. 'I'll be celebrating their diversity, evolution, relationships with plants, and how we can all help conserve this precious component of biodiversity to ensure thriving gardens, farms and ecosystems. 'This includes through floral selection, well-designed bee hotels and other nesting substrates, and individual actions that lead to global benefits.' Some native bees feed from only one specific plant, meaning many Perth gardens are essentially food deserts for these unique insects. While the (non-native) honeybee has long claimed the spotlight, Kit is bringing attention to the many other bees that deserve our care and protection — and growing them a new home too. The Gidgegannup Small Farm Field Day is on May 25. To read the official program, pick up a copy of the May 15 edition of Countryman.
Scottish Sun
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
I stumbled across a luxury car graveyard where Cadillacs & Chevys rot after owner abandoned hundreds of vintage vehicles
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TAKING a spin through his home state, photographer Dax Ward's eyes widened as he spotted a sprawling estate of abandoned cars. But on closer inspection, he was stunned to realise the 20-acre site was packed with rotting classic cars as well as custom boats, vans and trucks. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 14 Dax Ward came across the car graveyard while driving through Arkansas Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 Vintage cars have sat rotting for years Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 Pictures show once indulgent vehicles weathered by the elements Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 The site is now a magnet for opportunistic thieves Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 Boats and other vehicles have also been left abandoned Credit: Dax ward Photography Delving into its history of how so many vintage vehicles ended up in a graveyard on a hillside in Arkansas, Dax discovered the owner had vanished years ago. The site is now a magnet for opportunistic thieves with their sights set on selling parts. Dax said: "The junkyard owner once took great pride in his collection, even having shot a thief in the past and pistol-whipping another to protect his automotive treasure trove. "However, the owner has not lived on the property for some 20 years and rarely visits, having abandoned the location after a messy divorce. "There are many cars still remaining, but a number have been stolen over the years and the ones that remain have been stripped for parts by thieves." Jaw-dropping pictures show once indulgent vehicles weathered by the elements and sat rotting on the sprawling 20-acre ground. Antique cars including Cadillacs, Chevys, Buicks, and VWs have been taken over by rust. Dax said: "The property owner once owned a tow truck company and many of the vehicles were sold to him at very low prices from the customers who he served. "He amassed an enormous collection of valuable antique vehicles over the years, which would now be worth millions of dollars. "The collection is still valuable, but thieves regularly visit and the cars are slowly disappearing, piece by piece or body by body. Inside world-famous abandoned 'UFO village' packed with crumbling spaceship holiday homes "Local law enforcement sometimes catches intruders, but prosecution is often halted as nobody has seen or heard from the owner in years and he cannot be located, even by authorities." Dax visited the location twice, and was shown around by a neighbour who had not heard from the site's owner, a childhood friend, in years. The explorer added: "He gave me a roundup of the history of the property, the owner and automobiles, as well as describing regular incidents of thieves raiding the property. "Watching the beautiful cars, as well as valuable antiques and other rare and expensive items be stolen or picked clean over the years has left him in frustration. "Unfortunately, there is little he can do but watch. He tries to keep watch and notifies police regularly if he sees trespassers, but they often arrive too late to catch the intruders." 14 An abandoned school bus sits among the discarded vehicles Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 The abandoned vehicles sit on a 20-acre site Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 The owner had a tow truck company Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 Parts have been stripped from many of the vehicles Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 Antique cars including Cadillacs, Chevys, Buicks, and VWs have been taken over by rust Credit: Dax ward Photography The neighbour told Dax how the owner abandoned the site more than 20 years ago after going through a divorce. Dax said: "His ex-wife's custom Cadillac - sent to Italy and then re-imported after customisation - sits parked in the driveway of the uninhabited house, in the same spot that it was parked and left behind two decades ago. "He left derelict the posh house and many vehicles, became addicted to gambling in casinos over the border in Oklahoma and worked up a severe debt. "While exploring and documenting this fascinating location I was simultaneously awestruck by the amount of classic cars, many of them expensive and rare, and saddened by the loss of such a collection, the remnants of which sit and rot." Dax previously visited Taiwan's space-style holiday park that is now nothing more than an explorer's paradise. With its UFO-like buildings the star of the show, the resort's space-age retro splendor continues to slowly fade away. Perched on Taiwan's northern coast in Wanli, the unusual collection of buildings was supposed to act as a holiday park. But what remains is a series of bizarre, decaying structures nestled beside a beach that Dax captured on camera. 14 Dax visited the location twice and was shown around by a neighbour Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 Cars have been left to the elements Credit: Dax ward Photography 14 The collection would have been once worth a lot of money Credit: Dax ward Photography
