Volkswagen is set to give the boot to the Audi leader of development, in the wake of the emissions scandal investigation that has gnawed at the prestige of the company since 2015.
The investigation shows that Stefan Knirsch, one of Audi's members of the board, was aware of the fact that illegal software was being used in in Volkswagen's 3-liter diesel engines. The tampered software was supposed to report lower emission levels, thus helping Volkswagen vehicles pass the harsh European and American environment tests.
Knirsch is accused of knowingly hindering the investigation and swearing falsely under oath. Insiders familiar with the matter say that Knirsch's superiors have already asked him to clear his desk.
No spokespeople from Volkswagen or Audi commented on the case.
Audi, which is part of Volkswagen AG alongside Porsche, Seat, Skoda and more, came clean and admitted that it made use of the software in its vehicles. In the meantime, a few other car brands followed its example.
Knirsch was the head of development at Audi, succeeding Ulrich Hackenberg.
In 2015, Ulrich Hackenberg resigned from the position, following an extended suspension. Hackenberg, who was the lead engineer at Audi and the VW Group, was accused of being closely involved with the development of the engine that fired up the international emissions scandal.
The scandal started in September 2015, as the U.S. Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) filed a violation notice concerning the Clear Air Act. In the notice, the auto builder was designated as the main culprit in using a tampered-with software to minimize its vehicles' real emission levels.
The results of the following investigation proved that Volkswagen embedded 11 million of its vehicles with the tweaked software, thus greatly falsifying the emission reports during laboratory testing.
The CEO of the carmaker group, Martin Winterkorn, resigned as the revelations hit the media. Some have speculated that he also knew about the mischievous practices that went on during emission testing. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, the leader of brand development and Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche's R&D helm, were both suspended, just as Hackenberg.
Earlier this year, Knirsch declared in an interview for Europe Auto News that Audi had consistently grown its efforts to prevent future problems at the company.
At the time, Knirsch assured the public that his company's scrutiny extends beyond the exhaust emissions. He added that all software processes that are used in the R&D department are being thoroughly tested.
"We are taking preventive measures to make sure something like this cannot happen again," he said.
