Four former Volkswagen executives received prison sentences on Monday for their role in the scandal of emissions that the European car market fundamentally transformed. The verdict, issued after a three -year test in Braunschweig, Germany, marked the last chapter in a 10 -year saga that remodeled the relationship of the continent with diesel technology.
Jens Hadler, who supervised the development of the diesel engine, received the hardest sentence of four and a half years for orchestrating what the judges called “particularly serious” fraud. His equipment had installed software that allowed vehicles to recognize emission tests, temporarily increasing contamination controls during inspections while the rest of the time was dirty.
The impact of the scandal extended far beyond corporate joints. Before 2015, diesel vehicles ordered more than half of the European car market, marketed as environmentally friendly alternatives with gasoline. Today, that figure has collapsed to only 10% of new car sales.
The whole matter also accelerated the transition from Europe to electrification. Electric vehicles and plug -in hybrids now represent 25% of new car sales, while Volkswagen has become the Main Ev manufacturer in Europe, selling three times more cars with batteries than Tesla in April, Inform the New York Times.