Merkel in hot seat as MPs probe state role in VW’s emissions scandal
Berlin — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday faces a grilling by legislators investigating if her government shielded Volkswagen from regulators despite knowing the car giant was carrying out emissions cheating. The parliamentary committee was launched after VW — Europe’s largest car maker with 12 brands ranging from luxury Porsche to lower-end Skoda — admitted in September 2015 to fitting about 11-million diesel vehicles worldwide with software that temporarily reduces harmful emissions when undergoing regulatory tests. Tasked with investigating Berlin’s response to emissions excesses going back to 2007, the group of legislators have already heard witnesses from across the government and Volkswagen, including the car group’s former CE Martin Winterkorn.
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