Newly appointed VW Group CEO Matthias Muller has addressed the Dieselgate scandal in front of more than 20,000 employees at the Wolfsburg plant.
While admitting that the financial damage sustained by the brand is impossible to quantify as of today, Muller stated that the group is dealing with a crisis that’s “first and foremost a crisis of confidence.”
Even though that might be somewhat true, and keeping morale high is important, it’s not a lack of confidence that’s gotten them to the point where plenty of consumers say they don’t trust them anymore.
Muller also encouraged employees to take heart by saying “We can and we will overcome this crisis, because Volkswagen is a group with a strong foundation. And above all because we have the best automobile team anyone could wish for.”
The group’s CEO also announced that an action plan has been drawn up by a project team, and over the coming days, affected customers will be informed that emissions characteristics on their vehicles will be upgraded.
VW will also be presenting these technical solutions in front of the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) for approval, hoping that total transparency is the way to go as far as winning back trust is concerned.
“At no time was the safety of our customers compromised. And above all: all EU6 diesel vehicles comply with legal specifications and environmental requirements. For Wolfsburg, that means production can continue,” added Muller.
Even though it may be possible for VW to escape this nightmare while still looking strong, the fact that they can’t quantify their losses financially just yet, is forcing them to tighten the belt. According to Muller, “anything that is not absolutely necessary will be cancelled or postponed. And it is why we will be intensifying the efficiency program. To be perfectly frank: this will not be a painless process.”
As for fixing the issue on affected vehicles, it appears that “in many instances a software update will be sufficient. Some vehicles, however, will also require hardware modifications.”
It seems that VW owners as well as people outside the “circle of trust” will just have to wait a little longer to find out all of these specifics.
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