US charges don't change German probe of ex-Volkswagen CEO

German prosecutors are saying their probe of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is ongoing and won't be affected by the charges brought against him in the United States.

"We have taken account of the U.S. indictment, but it will not change our investigatory approach," said Klaus Ziehe, spokesman for the prosecutors in the town of Braunschweig.

The German prosecutors are investigating Winterkorn and 48 others in connection with the emissions scandal. U.S. authorities charged Winterkorn on Thursday with fraud and conspiracy in connect with use of illegal software used to cheat on U.S. diesel emissions tests. read more »

Factbox - VW's ex-CEO indicted: Who else is under investigation?

The indictment reopens the question of whether other senior VW executives knew about the scandal, which has dogged Europe’s biggest automaker for more than 2-1/2 years and led to a regulatory crackdown that is threatening thousands of jobs as customers increasingly shun diesel-powered cars.

VW had initially suggested only lower-level managers knew of the cheating. But the indictment alleges Winterkorn agreed with other senior VW executives “to continue to perpetrate the fraud and deceive U.S. regulators”. read more »

Harvard forum examines safety of self-driving vehicles

A Harvard University forum has examined how a recent death linked to self-driving technology is causing concern about safety.

"It's a little bit like the Wild West out there right now," said Deborah Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council.

Hersman was part of a Friday panel discussion at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health that explored whether the field is advancing too quickly as dozens of companies have begun experimenting on public streets in several U.S. states.

She joined other panelists in expressing optimism that eventually "machines will be better than us" at driving safely, while also worrying about the transition period before the technology is improved and society adapts to it.

Some experts are pointing to the March death of a pedestrian struck by a self-driving Uber vehicle in Tempe, Arizona, as cause for serious safety concern. It was the first death involving a fully autonomous test vehicle.

"It may actually get worse before it gets better," said Jay Winsten, who directs the school's Center for Health Communication. "People will be killed and injured by autonomous vehicles who never would have been without autonomous vehicles." read more »

VW CEO Given Rare U.S. Safe-Passage Deal

Not long after U.S. authorities filed sealed charges against Volkswagen AG’s old chief executive officer, they granted the new CEO a rare safe-passage deal.

The Justice Department agreement allows Herbert Diess, promoted last month to lead the German automaker, to travel the world freely without fear of being arrested in connection with the U.S.’s diesel-rigging investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter. read more »