At one time, Audi and the Volkswagen Auto Group dominated the diesel passenger vehicle market. Promoting clean diesel engines as an affordable alternative to hybrid and electric vehicles, the company sold 70 percent of the diesel cars in the US market. Then it was caught cheating on vehicle emissions testing, resulting in one of the biggest auto-related scandals of this century.
The fallout continues today, where Audi's former CEO, Rupert Stadler, admitted to committing fraud and helping cover up Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal. Stadler has been on trial since 2020 after Volkswagen and Audi admitted using illegal software to cheat on emissions tests. The former CEO previously rejected the allegations, insisting he was unaware of what happened. It wasn't until this month that he admitted to his involvement as part of a court plea agreement in Germany.
