Spiegel Online: “Made in Germany” Label Badly Damaged By Car Scandal

US researchers discovered that Volkswagen and other automakers were intentionally manipulating software to avoid high emissions readings during test conditions. German carmakers are an economic powerhouse – with 800,000 jobs and more than €450 billion in sales – and engineering staff managed to fool European and US regulators. A proposed solution is an inexpensive software update that won’t contribute substantially to improving air quality. Such antics could damage the “made in Germany” brand as a worldwide symbol of quality, argues a team of writers for Spiegel Online. The article blames the scandal on “an unsavory amalgamation of people and interests – a system of mutual financial perks and party donations, and a supervisory authority that, as a result of lobbying work, has withered to the point that it has become an extended arm of the industry.” Diesel-powered engines account for substantial nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions, and the article reviews the industry’s intense lobbying and German government capitulation. About 3 percent of US automobiles have diesel engines compared with about half in Europe. The zeal to reduce regulations and allow corporations to police themselves, with the hope of hiking profits and hiding problems from consumers, is self-defeating, and the scandal has only spurred calls for bans on diesel technology. – YaleGlobal