They're going to follow and prosecute this like blood hounds.
No they won't. They do all they can, to not harm the important car sector anymore, than it already is.
So they will continue to act like they do all they can to chase the single bad actors and then everyone hopefully finally forgets, there was something.
As far as I know, no individual car owner in germany has any hope of getting a refund, after they were cheated in bying a "low emission diesel". The way the politic sees it, VW was already damaged enough by the US recompensation demands. It is politics and power they care about, not justice.
One of the biggest selling point for German cars is that they are more efficient than the Americans this event has broken that public perception and until they fix it they will struggle to compete with cheaper American cars.
If they don't restore the publics faith that the German car industry will deliver what they promise people like me will simply not buy German cars.
> It is politics and power they care about, not justice.
I agree with you but in this case the easiest way to solve the political issue and restore power is to deliver justice.
That only holds for cheaper economy cars, of which japan currently has the consumer perception edge with. The German car industry's edge is with conspicuous consumption type cars, such as luxury and GT cruisers; and the customer base for those types of cars doesn't car about efficiency as much as prestige and sportiness. I'd go as far to say the customer base for the M3 or equivalent sport cars is the type to actively subvert the emissions equipment with an ECU flash or test pipe swap for the performance boost.
Does it really help the German car sector's reputation, if people will hear in the news for weeks how they investigate the case, who's responsible, how they figured these details out? I don't think so, because every time it'll be on the news that they caught someone, the news will also repeat the original sleazy act of (alleged?) cheating, and that sticks, that's what people will remember.
However, if they just try to be not too loud about it, most people will forget in a year or two.
EDIT: Just how embarrassed our government really is is a good question. The role of our regulators is still not really clear. Prosecutors in Munich even went so far to subpoena the KBA (German automotive regulator). Fun fact, the German traffic ministry is and was lead by members of the Bavarian majority party. That implies some gits at the prosecution side.
EDIT 2: Almost subpoenaed the KBA.
I'm not privy to German politics but if the political situation is ANYTHING like what I would expect, diligent prosecution of corporate malfeasance is roughly the last priority of government prosecutors, well behind prosecuting jaywalking and spitting on the sidewalk.
We have far less of an acceptance of plea bargains. Pre-trial deals are almost unheard of, because the defendent can "come clean" at any time of the trial and the timing must not enter the judgement to their detriment. OTOH a defendent also has nothing to gain from co-operating early beyond whatever he/she is absolutely required by law to do. This means that the prosecussion will almost always have to do the entire work of proving beyond any reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty. Which they have to do on paper long before the first hearing is held.
Hence, cases brought to trial in Germany are generally water-tight. Stadler is almost definitely going to prison. The only question is for how long and who else he implicates.
But tell me, how long did it take from the famous Otis Wright judgment and referral to the U.S. attorney to indictments? Five years or so?