In the continuing Volkswagen saga, VW just announced they are able to update the software to bring their diesel vehicles up to the European clean air standards.
However, this update will only be available in Europe, where it will be installed in early 2016. VW said it would be harder to update US cars because of the stricter rules on emissions of nitrogen oxides.
Because of the big scandal, 8.5 million of the vehicles are in Europe and about 500,000 are in the US. VW also announced eight employees have been suspended in an investigation behind the faulty software.
Is this too little, too late? How do we know that VW is telling the truth this time? I feel like VW is not reliable, so how are we supposed to be able to trust them in telling the truth about the new software?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/business/international/vw-diesel-emissions-fix.html?ref=business&_r=0
3 comments:
I think this effort is too little too late for Volkswagen. With a scandal this big, the company had to know what was going on as well as the people involved with the scandal. Just not suspending and investigating people within the company seems an after thought for VW and one they were trying to avoid. On top of this, I do not know that consumers will be able to believe VW's claims that they have found a new way to decrease their diesel emissions. With the current feeling of betrayal the consumers feel, I do not think these actions will be enough to restore the consumer's faith in the company. With this being said I do not think VW will be able to climb back up the ladder and be a leader in the automobile industry like it was in the past.
Personally, I think that this effort is a little too late for Volkswagen, but not overall devastating to the company. That being said, I do think that there is still hope for the company in the coming months and years. They may not be regarded as the "best" in the industry due to this catastrophe, but I do think that consumer loyalty will play a big role in keeping the company afloat during the coming months and years. The way I see it, the company has attempted to fix the problem in their diesel engines and their brand-loyal customers will see that and continue to buy their products - helping to keep them afloat.
All in all, in a couple of years, I think VW will be a force to be reckoned with again in the automotive industry. Years ago, Toyota had a recall on malfunctioning airbags due to a company issue and failed to tell the general public until people were killed in their cars. Toyota recovered from this catastrophe and I also believe VW can do the same. That is, if and only if there are enough consumers who are loyal to the brand and continue to buy VW products until this scandal shies away from the public headlines.
Volkswagon may have messed up when it came to installing the software for clean air. But it is a large industry and I believe that they will recover they just have to be much more careful in the near future. And keep up with all the proper codes regarding car manufacturing. While it may be easier to be forgiven by their European counterparts, they may have a more difficult time making it up to Americans due to the stricter rules that we possess.
I suppose the fate of VW all depends on how they are able to change the software without affecting the performance or fuel economy of the car. Good luck to them. They dug themselves into the hole and now they have to dig themselves out, with whatever means necessary and how ever much money it may take.
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