South Korea plans to file criminal charges against the head of Volkswagen in the country after judging that the carmaker’s recall plan to fix emissions-cheating diesel cars was unacceptable.
In the latest blow to the German group since it admitted fiddling American exhaust tests last year, Johannes Thammer, the managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea, could face up to five years in prison and a fine of as much as 30 million won (£17,500).
The charges came as Matthias Müller, VW’s chief executive, dismissed as “pure speculation” reports that it was facing fines in the United States that could run into tens of billions of euros. It came, too, as Renault said that it was recalling nearly 16,000 cars and offering software upgrades for 700,000