Auto giant Volkswagen is seeking more than a billion euros ($1.2 billion) in damages from ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn over the "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal, German media reported on Friday.

The sum would be the highest ever claim for damages against a company executive in Germany, according to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Volkswagen has written to Winterkorn to demand the sum, the bulk of which is likely to be covered by his liability insurance, the report said, without citing its sources.

Volkswagen and a source close to Winterkorn both declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

The Volkswagen group was plunged into crisis in 2015 when it admitted to installing cheating software in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide to dupe pollution tests.

The scandal, based on allegations from the US Environmental Protection Agency, has so far cost the German car giant more than 30 billion euros ($35 billion) in fines, legal costs and compensation.

VW said in March it would be demanding compensation from Winterkorn, as well as Rupert Stadler, the former head of its Audi division, for "breach of duty" in connection with the affair. The company did not reveal how much it was seeking then.

The amount demanded from Stadler "is expected to be much smaller" than that asked of Winterkorn, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.

VW accuses Winterkorn of failing to take action from July 2015 to get "immediate and comprehensive" information about the use of the illegal software in vehicles sold in North America between 2009 and 2015.

It also says he "failed in this context to ensure that the questions asked by the US authorities were truthfully and fully answered".

Winterkorn, 73, and four other ex-Volkswagen colleagues are due to go on trial together in Germany on charges of organised commercial fraud and serious tax evasion.

The start of proceedings has been repeatedly pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic and is now set to start on September 16.

The first senior executive to go on trial over "dieselgate" was Stadler, 58, whose fraud proceedings opened in Munich last year.

jpl-fec/dl

VOLKSWAGEN

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Tesla hits China speed bump with blowback over safety, service
Beijing (AFP) April 22, 2021
Electric carmaker Tesla has hit a speed bump in China with questions being raised over safety and service just as local competitors gear up to challenge the US-based company in the huge Chinese market. Tesla's road in China had seemed paved with gold after founder Elon Musk was granted rare permission to build a wholly-owned factory in Shanghai that has allowed it to accelerate to the head of the pack in China's electric vehicle (EV) market. But a Tesla customer's protest at the Shanghai Auto Sh ... read more