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THE HEAD OF Volkswagen Ireland has been up in front of the Oireachtas Transport Committee this afternoon.
Danish native Lars Himmer, who has only been in the job since January of this year, offered his “sincere apologies” for the emissions scandal that has knocked the motoring giant for six.
Volkswagen Ireland deals in Audi, Skoda, and Seat cars to name just three in addition to its own brand.
The company is responsible for almost 2,700 staff here, both directly and indirectly.
“We have let down our customers both abroad and in Ireland, and we’ve abused our long history and the trust placed in us,” Himmer said in his opening statement, a sort of prolonged act of contrition.
We are taking these matters very seriously. We’ve fallen short of the standards expected of us. We will fix this at our expense, and we will co-operate fully with both policy-makers and regulators in order to do so.
The German auto maker has been in crisis since revealing it fitted 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide with a special software mode to cheat emissions tests.
The function meant its cars could breeze through pollution regulations, but in normal driving the vehicles would pump out much higher quantities of toxic and greenhouse gases.
Himmer claims that he first became aware of the trouble facing his company on 19 September, and on 22 September about the extent to which European cars were affected.
Volkswagen Ireland is taking responsibility for 110,000 domestic cars and imports. The rogue software affects cars registered between 2008 and 2015 bearing a specific EA 189 diesel engine.
“All owners affected have been contacted regarding the remedy for the issue,” Himmer said.
We have suspended sales of new cars with the problem engine. I’d like to point out that the successor to the problem engine the EA 188 is not affected.
Currently almost 116,000 vehicles have been clarified by the company as it sifts through what car owners are affected, while 40,000 problem cars have been identified via the dedicated website set up to tackle the crisis.
Himmer seemed slightly confused by Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley suggesting that he had no idea who the injured party was with regard to the scandal.
“I am not sure what the question means,” he said. “I am not a legal professional, and that is a legal question.”
We are doing everything in our power to correct the problem, and to start the process of regaining trust with our customers and with our staff.
We have spent 65 years building up an excellent reputation in this country, and we share everyone’s rightful concern over this issue.
Himmer told the committee that it was unclear at present how much the remedy employed by the company will cost them.
“All I can say is it will cause as little inconvenience as possible for our customers,” he said.
Asked whether or not the investigation was in any way close to identifying the culprit behind the software code affecting the cars he said he has “no insights as to who is responsible for the software issue”.
I’m hoping that we will find out very quickly. We need to know and the public does too.
We are working with all the relevant authorities in a co-operative way. But these investigations are only just beginning.
Volkswagen, which has lost one quarter of its market value since the scandal broke, has set aside €6.5 billion to deal with the immediate fallout from the revelations, but in the long term it faces many times that amount in fines from regulators alone.
If you suspect that your car may be affected by this issue you can check whether or not that is the case using your vehicle registration number at www.campaigncheck.ie
Additional reporting Peter Bodkin
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What about the crisis of bullying in SinnFein Peadair?
@Dave Sherman: they have procedures in place aka kangaroo court.
@Paul: Was the kangaroo court not when Enda Kenny used Dail privilege to act as judge and jury against people who had already been acquitted in a court of law?
@Dave Sherman: What about, what about, what about…
@Dermo Adams: nah the Kangaroo Court was when the provos subjected victims of sexual abuse to paramilitary courts
@Incognito: Hypocrite of the highest order that’s what.
@Dermo Adams: who are u referring to?
and some people wonder why the Shinners have 13% of the vote. This hypocrisy might work in Norn Iron but not down here sunshine
@Dave Sherman:
So all that is needed is for SF to be accused of something and everyone else can join in and do the same !!!.. I don’t think so Dave.
@Dave Sherman: will u cut that out Jerry said it never happened
@Dave Sherman: is it just me or do all SF representatives look like older toerags
@Dave Sherman:
I agree with you completely !!!!!!
as a very long time member of
Sinn Fèin I shall not be renewing
my membership because of the intimidation and bullying I have
Witnessed at grass roots level
Even from yourself Peadar. !!!!!!!
@Dave Sherman: Their Ard Fheis is coming up this weekend, Have to have something to Deflect the Sheep’s Attention from the widespread Bullying, Harassment and Intimidation going on around them and the fact that the partys vote ( in last few opinion polls ) is going down, down and down .. lol ..
@For Connolly: Was ‘sunshine’ a Pink Floyd reference?
SF giving a moral lecture on bullying is a bit like bank executives giving a lecture on always putting the customer first…..Thoes with mortgage difficulties….
PMSL! Same way they like to think they’re a bunch of peacemakers
@Diarmuid: hilarious! Forgot to check the calendar, is today the first day of April?
@Diarmuid: Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Loser.
@Diarmuid: I did. Unless he’s calling out the widely reported culture of bullying in SF, he’s a bland hypocrite. Much like SF going public on wanting to sell easter lillies on the same day their abject failure in makey uppey government was highlighted.
@Diarmuid: “bringing it into talks” – suppose someone needed to represent that terrorist organisation while it was surrendering and handing over its weapons. Lucky for Jorry he got cushy British public sector jobs out of it.
Diarmuid – have you been possessed by a evil ghost?
@Diarmuid: The new Diarmuid is Dermo Adams. If he wants to troll he shouldn’t verbatim his comments from this mornings defence of Gerry Adams.
@Diarmuid: He brought about peace by stopping killing people. Bravo…….slow handclap.
@Honeybadger197: the Risen must have been banned…… must hurt the poor fella.
@Diarmuid:
I see what you did there. Checkmate & Bravo!
Im more interested to know why Journal has refused to report his comments on 8th Amendment Committee……
@Paul: what comments? Care to elaborate? Genuinely curiosity.
@Paul: Afraid of a kneecapping?
They haven’t gone away you know!
@Geffrey Kane: he has called out the committee been pro abortion. SF have said his comments do not represent party position.
@Paul: “he has called out the committee been pro abortion”
Eh?
@Paul: “being”
@Paul: “being” Of course they don’t represent the party position – they’re still pro-killing children in their mother’s wombs, much the same as ISIS philosophy really.
A SF TD lecturing on bullying and harassment. I have heard it all. Have they no shame or integrity.
I don’t support SF but I’m unconvinced that the problem of bullying and harassment in Ireland is exclusively confined to the SF Party.
Lol these Shinners are a funny bunch
Start with your own party peadar,clean it up.until then sf have no credibility on the issue.
Interesting, a senior SF td condemning bullying… they must be trying to deflect from their own issues
Peadar Toibin wishes to harrass and bully women who aren’t antichoice like him.
Has Peadar got a soundbite in the widely reported culture of bullying in his own party? This must be like SF announcing Easter Lily sales on the same day the utter failure of their pretend governance of the North is exposed.
@CloneDiarmuid: just like the shinners? : )
A bit rich coming from him of all people. Fully appreciate that the Arts & Heritage sector has a major sexual harassment issue. But really, this is fake indignation from an anti-choice zealot who thinks women’s lives are no more important than the content of a discarded condom. He couldn’t give a toss, so to speak, about women’s rights.
@Emo101: you mean not pro–death for defenceless babies. Shinners may have stopped killing grown-ups but innocent children are still fair game for slaughter as far as they’re concerned.
@JMac: If you can’t tell the difference between an actual baby and sperm, read a biology book, not TheJournal.
Special Communications Unit Mobilisation!
Incoming!
@Jarlath Murphy: Yeah don’t think you need a SCU to call out utter SF hypocrisy.
How many SF Councillors is that to have resigned or been sacked due to bullying now?
What a dufus!
The calibre of shinner politician is farcical.
the impersonating shinner bot who was banned a few years back?
@We’re Jammin’: Yeah I was trolled by a shinner bot with the same name in the past. Thankfully he/she was banned. Why do you care Diarmuid?
Hi everyone,
Please ignore the clone account above. As you can see from the ’5Y’ (5 year contributor) symbol under my name, this is the original.
I will be reporting the above account in the morning.
Best wishes
WJ
@We’re Jammin’: looks like one of the guilty shinner bots is back ^
Any idea how a different photo and proper grammar on a Bob Marley song is a clone?
PMSL!
@were jammin: so you have we’re jamming, For Connolly, the Risen and Francis McCarthy? How do you keep up?
@Jane: sorry were jammin
@were jammin: It really is disrespectful to contributors who just want to comment and discuss the actual article above.
@Jane: You’re fine Jane. It’s easy to get mixed up with the abuses of posting privileges that are happening around these parts all too often.
@Jane: me thinks the “Risen” was banned.
Pfizer took an action for copyright infringement : )
ah I get it now – Jammin’s “Risen” was banned so he set up clone accounts to troll Diarmuid, but is offended by supposed clone accounts
trying to be a bully on an article about shinner bullying : )
confused little shinner : )
@For Connolly: when you see ‘good lad’ you’ll know it’s him
@Diarmuid: a clone account angry about clone accounts PMSL : )
Silly little shinner : )
Good lad : )
Somebody really needs to put some sort of filter on this site to prevent children from posting.
No bullying in Sinn Fein If this is all you have to speak on you are overpaid for doing nothing but making a fool of yourself
The words “Deflection and Distraction” comes to mind … Also the expression “Titanium Bulletproof Necks” also comes to mind with any reps from Gerry Adams party accusing others of Bullying or Intimidation/Harassment … Concentrate on sorting out their own house first, before trying to Deflect peoples attention towards other peoples houses …
People in glasshouses should not fire stones ,i am against all forms of bullying ,be it political ,social or economic .
he’s a looker.
You have to wonder about people who attack Sinn Féin (no I am not a member), rather than address the serious issue Deputy Tobín aided. They seem to be like the judges who give suspended or lenient sentences to men who beat and brutalise women….. a very disturbing mindset
Why is an intelligent and talented man like Peadar focusing on such relatively trivial nonsense?
Sinn Fein need to get off the hard left Utopian bandwagon and become more pragmatic and inclusive….
There are similar issues of abuse of power in other state-funded bodies, such as within the health service. I find this very disappointing in this day and age. You’d think we’d have learned from all of the past cover-ups in this country.
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