TIME Automotive

Volkswagen Posts First Loss in Years Following Emissions Scandal

Lower Saxony Governor Weil Visits Volkswagen Factory
Sean Gallup—Getty Images Matthias Mueller speaks to the media while standing at the assembly line of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany on Oct. 21, 2015.

The company lost $1.84 billion in the third quarter

Volkswagen posted its first quarterly net loss in more than a decade following a scandal over emissions from its diesel vehicles, the company announced Wednesday.

The company lost $1.84 billion in the third quarter as it paid to repair illegal software in millions of cars. Volkswagen made a profit of nearly €3 billion, more than $3 billion, last year during the same period. The car manufacturer also lost its spot as the world leader in automobile sales to Toyota and its position is expected to worsen as the fallout from the scandal continues.

Volkswagen was forced to recall an estimated 11 million vehicles around the world in September after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined the company for installing software on diesel vehicles that provided false information about the cars’ emissions.

The company set aside nearly €7 billion ($7.75 billion) to address the continued situation, but officials now say that won’t be enough.

“The initial impact of the current situation is becoming clear,” said Volkswagen CEO Matthias Müller in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to win back the trust we have lost.”

 

Tap to read full story

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team