Audi CEO arrested in Germany over emissions scandal

This article is more than 12 months old

Jun 19, 2018 06:00 am

FRANKFURT The head of Volkswagen's luxury arm Audi was arrested yesterday, the most senior official so far to be taken into custody over the German carmaker's emissions test cheating scandal.

Munich prosecutors said Rupert Stadler was being detained due to fears he might hinder an ongoing investigation into the scandal, plunging Volkswagen (VW) into a leadership crisis.

News of the arrest comes as VW's new group CEO Herbert Diess is trying to introduce a new leadership structure, which includes Stadler, and speed up the group's shift towards electric vehicles in the wake of its emissions scandal.

VW admitted in September 2015 to using illegal software to cheat US emissions tests on diesel engines, sparking the biggest crisis in the company's history and leading to a crackdown across the auto industry.- REUTERS