Volkswagen executive Thomas Steg has returned to his post after an internal audit cleared him of any legal misconduct. Steg had been leave since January after it emerged he failed to prevent emissions tests on animals.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J.Stratenschulte
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German carmaker Volkswagen on Wednesday announced it was reinstating chief lobbyist Thomas Steg, following an internal investigation into a series of emissions tests carried out on animals.
In a statement, VW auditors said they found no evidence that Steg had committed any legal misconduct in relation to the tests.
Nevertheless, Steg issued an apology Wednesday, saying he regretted not doing more to prevent the experiments on monkeys. "I was convinced that I acted legally when it came to fulfilling my duties and the terms of my employment," Steg said. "Still, I wonder whether I could have done more back in the Spring of 2013 to prevent these tests."
Before becoming VW's chief lobbyist, Thomas Steg worked as the German government's deputy spokesman between 2002 and 2009Image: imago/W.P. Prange
In January, it emerged that a US research laboratory had placed macaque monkeys in airtight chambers and exposed them to diesel exhaust fumes. The tests, which were carried out in 2014, were commissioned by the European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) — a now defunct organization founded by German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW.
The group reportedly wanted to show that diesel emissions were far less dangerous than reported by the World Health Organization, although the results ultimately proved inconclusive.
It subsequently emerged that Steg, who before joining VW worked as the German government's deputy spokesman, had known about the experiments back in May 2013 during the planning stages, but failed to prevent them from going ahead. After reports of the tests broke, Steg was placed on a leave of absence "at his own behest."
More VW trials under review
VW board member Hiltrud Werner welcomed Steg's return, saying it was important that "employees are fully rehabilitated once a situation such as this is completely resolved and yields a positive result."
Werner, who oversees corporate integrity and law at the German car giant, added that the board would review all independent trials and research tests involving VW by the second half of the year.
A day after reports of the animal testing broke, it also emerged that the EUGT had commissioned a trial in Germany where saw 25 people at an Aachen-based university hospital were made to inhale varying amounts of the gas over several hours. According to newspapers, the experiment aimed to test the affects of "short-term nitrogen dioxide inhalation by healthy people."
Volkswagen Group continues to maintain almost 1,300 commercial and research partnerships, with more than 100 universities and over 60 institutions in Germany alone.
New VW CEO Herbert Diess has vowed to focus future investments into electric vehicles. During last month's annual general meeting, Diess said his aim was for VW to build 3 million electric cars a year by 2025.
Dieselgate: A timeline
VW's emissions scandal plunged the automaker into its deepest crisis ever. It brought with it everlasting damage to VW's reputation and massive fees and penalties — not to mention compensation claims from car owners.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Stratenschulte
The disaster unfolds — September 2015
About two weeks after Volkswagen admitted behind closed doors to US environmental regulators that it had installed cheating software in some 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide, the Environmental Protection Agency shared that information with the public. It was September 18, 2015. The ensuing crisis would eventually take a few unexpected turns.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Spata
The boss must go, long live the boss — September 2015
Volkswagen's then-CEO Martin Winterkorn (above) had little choice but to step down several days after news of the scandal broke. In September 2015, he tendered his resignation, but retained his other posts within the Volkswagen Group. Winterkorn's successor was Matthias Müller. Until taking the reins at VW, Müller had been the chairman at Porsche, a VW subsidiary.
Image: picture-alliance/Sven Simon
Raiding headquarters — October 2015
Regulators in the US weren't the only ones investigating VW. Authorities in Lower Saxony, the German state in which VW is based, were also scrutinizing the company. On October 8 2015, state prosecutors raided VW's headquarters along with several other corporate locations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Steffen
Hell breaks loose — January 2016
On January 4, 2016, the US government filed a lawsuit against VW in Detroit, accusing the German automaker of fraud and violations of American climate protection regulations. The lawsuit sought up to $46 billion for violations of the Clean Air Act.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Burgi
Quit or forced out? — March 2016
In March 2016, the head of VW in the US, Michael Horn, resigned. In the initial days and weeks after the scandal broke, he was the one US authorities turned to for information. He issued an official apology on behalf of the automaker, asking for the public's forgiveness.
Image: Getty Images/C. Somodevilla
Settlement — October 2016
On October 25 2016, a US judge approved a final settlement that would have VW pay $15.3 billion. In addition, affected cars would be retrofitted with better, non-deceptive hardware and software, or else VW would buy them back completely from customers.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
Imitators — July 2017
When dieselgate first emerged in 2015, analysts said it was likely other car makers were also cheating tests. But it wasn't until 2017 that other companies were targeted in probes. In July, German authorities launched investigations into luxury car makers Porsche and Daimler for allegedly cheating emissions tests. Others, such as Audi and Chrysler, have also been hit by similar allegations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
Public still supportive — December 2017
Despite dieselgate, VW has managed to keep the emissions scandal from utterly tarnishing its image. According to several polls, between 55 to 67 percent of Germans continue to trust the automaker. In the US, polls show that roughly 50 percent still believe the German company produces worthwhile vehicles.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Klose
Fuming over monkeys — January 2018
In late January, however, VW suffered another heavy blow over reports that the company experimented on monkeys and made the animals inhale diesel fumes. To make matters worse, a separate experiment that had humans inhale relatively harmless nitrogen dioxide was revealed at the same time. Some media wrongly interpreted this to mean humans were also inhaling toxic fumes.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gentsch
Canadian court demands millions — January 2020
Years after the scandal that caused Volkswagen to pay CAN$2.4 billion (US$1.83 billion), a court in Toronto order a further fine of CAN$196.5 million. Volkswagen pleaded guilty of violating in environmental laws. Prosecutor Tom Lemon noted that the fine was "26 times the highest fine ever for a Canadian environmental offence."
