Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Meet the 2021 winners
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive News Europe
April 21, 2017 01:00 AM

VW diesel whistleblower identified in book

Larry P. Vellequette
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Bloomberg
    The scandal, which became public in September 2015, led to the automaker buying back a half million cars in the U.S. and settling a lawsuit with the government for $14.7 billion.

    DETROIT -- As Volkswagen Group's criminal case comes to a close, a nagging question persists: Who blew the whistle and first admitted to regulators that VW was lying about its dirty diesels?

    Volkswagen faces sentencing Friday morning in a Detroit courtroom after pleading guilty last month to three federal felonies for diesel-emissions violations, which were brought to light based on information given to federal law enforcement from an internal whistleblower. A new book on the VW diesel emissions scandal by a New York Times reporter asserts that it was an American VW executive who first disclosed VW's criminal acts to regulators.

    The whistleblower named in the book: Stuart Johnson, head of VW's Engineering and Environmental Office in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, which has responsibility for VW's interaction with U.S. regulators.

    The book, due out in May, is Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal by Jack Ewing. Automotive News received a review copy of the book from its publisher, W. W. Norton & Co.

    "You get the feeling from reading the documents that Johnson always felt queasy about the whole situation," Ewing told Automotive News.

    Scott Lassar, Johnson's attorney, declined to comment on behalf of his client.

    A spokeswoman for VW Group of America said the automaker declined to comment.

    The cost of Volkswagen's diesel-emissions scandal, which involves about 11 million vehicles worldwide, is now about $25 billion and continues to grow.

    The scandal, which became public in September 2015, led to the automaker buying back a half million cars in the U.S. and settling a lawsuit with the government for $14.7 billion. It is also responsible for the automaker admitting its guilt to three felonies under U.S. law -- a distinction that sets its actions apart from previous industry scandals.

    In the January indictments of six German VW executives -- including that of Oliver Schmidt, pictured -- the government's main whistleblower is identified only as “Cooperating Witness 1.”

    In the book, Ewing quotes an interview with Alberto Ayala, the deputy executive director of the California Air Resources Board, naming Johnson as the first person to reveal to CARB the existence of VW's "defeat device" software.

    Key meeting

    The book quotes Ayala as saying the revelation happened just prior to a key meeting between CARB and VW on Aug. 19, 2015, in El Monte, California, and that Johnson in making the disclosure was violating orders he had been given by his superiors.

    That same meeting is spelled out in the federal indictment of Oliver Schmidt, a former U.S.-based VW executive facing 11 felony charges related to the diesel scandal. That meeting came after weeks of executive discussions concerning how to keep regulators from discovering that VW had installed a device that would make its diesels meet federal regulations only while running on the dynamometer test. 

    The scandal became public Sept. 18, 2015, a month after Johnson met with Ayala, when the EPA announced that VW had violated portions of the Clean Air Act.

    In the January indictments of six German VW executives -- including that of Schmidt, Johnson's immediate predecessor in his current job -- the government's main whistleblower is identified only as "Cooperating Witness 1."

    Witness cooperation

    The indictments say that CW1 "is a VW employee who works in VW's engine development department." It's unclear whether that characterization of CW1's job was deliberately vague to hide the witness's identity. The indictment says the witness "has agreed to cooperate with the government's investigation in exchange for an agreement that the government will not prosecute CW1 in the United States."

    A second cooperating witness, CW2, whose identity remains unknown, also agreed to cooperate in exchange for an agreement not to be prosecuted, the indictments say.

    Johnson was deeply involved in attempting to certify the diesel vehicles equipped with illegal defeat devices. Yet he has not been charged, unlike six German executives also involved in that attempt to certify the diesel engines.

    FOIA request

    Automotive News submitted a public records request to CARB on Jan. 19 seeking records from the Aug. 19 meeting. The agency’s response, issued Feb. 24, was largely redacted "as part of an investigation or settlement discussions."

    However, among the unredacted portions is an internal email among CARB employees from prior to the Aug. 19 meeting. It reads, in part: "VW has requested a meeting on the diesel issue. Stuart Johnson plans to be in El Monte with 4 staff from Germany." It also says: "Hopefully, VW will provide the full details on how the controls really work on the in use vehicles and the 2016 vehicles that have cert(ification) pending."

    Ewing verified to Automotive News his conversation with Ayala.

    A spokesman for Ayala did not return repeated messages seeking comment.

    A spokeswoman for former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, whose office prosecuted the VW scandal and continues to pursue VW executives, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

    CA110042421.PDF

    Schmidt complaint

    CA10855019.PDF >
    CA110044421.PDF

    VW executives' indictment

    CA110044421.PDF >
    CA110045421.PDF

    VW AG indictment

    CA110045421.PDF >
    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Hyundai Europe boss Michael Cole to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Recommended for You
    Mike_Cole_Hyundai_2020
    Hyundai Europe boss Michael Cole to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Aldo Kamper Leoni 2022
    CEO of wiring systems supplier Leoni to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Wolfgang Bremm von Kleinsorgen Mercedes web
    Mercedes Central, Eastern Europe boss von Kleinsorgen to speak at Automotive News Europe Congress
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
        • Meet the 2021 winners
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us