Ex-VW CEO Winterkorn implicated by former executive

Former Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn told managers in mid-2015 to only partly disclose its problems with diesel-emission software to U.S. regulators, a former VW executive told a German court.

The order was given at a meeting in July 2015, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, who was the head of engine development, said at a hearing on Monday.

Neusser sued the automaker for wrongful dismissal in the labor court in the city of Braunschweig. It’s the first time that Neusser talked publicly about the events that eventually led to U.S. regulators disclosing the probe in September 2015. VW admitted using the software in 11 million diesel vehicles, and the financial toll has so far reached 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines and other expenses. read more »

Federal probe launched into Tesla for possible battery defects after 'alarming number of car fires

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into the possibility that battery defects in Tesla vehicles may have caused the cars to burst into flames.

The investigation will involve certain battery management system software updates in Model S and Model X vehicles made between 2012 and 2019 in response to an "alarming number of car fires that have occurred worldwide," according to a letter the agency sent to Al Prescott, Tesla's deputy general counsel, on Oct. 24. read more »