Audi boss Rupert Stadler was a bit stupid! Admits his role in Dieselgate

Rupert Stadler insisted he was innocent. His defense was that the former Audi boss had been misled by his own engineers. But it turned out that was a white lie. Stadler knew about Dieselgate.

Let’s go back to 2015, when all the alarm bells were ringing in Wolfsburg. The panic in the PR department must have been huge, because how can the fact that Volkswagen and Audi cheated, twisted and lied be viewed positively?

Fraud software led to Dieselgate

By hiding so-called cheating software in diesel models, the Volkswagen Group managed to fool emission testers. On the dyno, the company’s diesel engines were as clean as anything else, but not on public roads.

Volkswagen has paid billions in fines

The Volkswagen Group had to pay billions in fines worldwide and buy back large stocks of fraudulent diesel from owners. And Dieselgate is still not finished. Several lawsuits are pending, including against those responsible.

Suddenly Rupert Stadler’s memory works

For example to Rupert Stadler, the head of Audi, who would have known nothing. But now his memory suddenly works. How is that possible? The judiciary made a deal with him. If Stadler makes a confession, he will not go to prison and will only receive a fine.

Stadler is not accused of instigating Dieselgate. But he allowed the sale of cheat diesels to continue, even though he knew what was going on.

In a statement to the court, Stadler now admits that he could have intervened, but did not do so. Stadler is the first former Volkswagen Group board member to plead guilty to fraud and negligence.

Incidentally, Stadler’s testimony was a fine example of Orwell’s Newspeak. He didn’t say he knew about the scam, but that he “thought it was possible and in that sense accepted” that cars were being sold with scam software.

Three other Audi employees gave the order

Three other former Audi employees are on trial in Munich: two engineers and the former head of engine development. They admitted to ordering the illegal software to be installed.