The opening day of the North American International Auto Show was also the day the FBI arrested former VW emissions manager Oliver Schmidt and subsequently charged him with conspiracy to defraud the United States, defraud customers, and violate the Clean Air Act. The New York Times broke the story, and the news alert on my phone popped up as I stood on the show floor in Detroit. Just steps away from me was VW’s stand, a photo of which the Times used to lead the story, presumably because Schmidt’s mug shot was not yet available.
Two days later, federal prosecutors announced charges against five additional executives. VW management at the show was besieged with questions related to the indictments, and the 2017 show debuts and new product offensive were largely forgotten. It was hard not to wince as all of this came crashing down—again—and wonder how VW will ever get past this. Can America forgive and forget?
If the letter I received from future Eagle Scout Luke Morretta, a high school sophomore in Bedford, New York, is any indication, forgiveness won’t come soon:
I am writing to you as a requirement for my Communications Merit Badge but also to discuss Volkswagen’s Dieselgate. I am a big fan of cars (and your magazine), and my mom owns an affected Touareg TDI. I talked with my parents about the whole issue, and although they were upset at the thought of having their beloved car being bought back, they told me “that’s what happens when you cheat.”
I’ve now come to realize the bigger moral picture to this whole scandal, and no matter what happens with the cars, the bottom line is that they cheated. Not once have I ever seen a car article discuss morals and the consequences of wrongdoing. I’ve realized that filling magazine readers’ heads with information basically has no impact on their lives and society. Now, for articles on brand-new cars with new technologies, it is practically impossible to bring that back to the big picture; but on scandals like these, I think it is imperative to impose a deeper message than just the fines that VW is faced with and which executive will be prosecuted.
For families such as the Morrettas, VW’s deception is a betrayal.
In order for society to progress and for the world to be a better place, magazines like yours must display a care for morals and should display what is right and what is wrong.
It would be easy to dismiss Luke’s letter as the well-written but naive musings of a neophyte not yet familiar with how the world works. After all, VW has pled guilty to charges of fraud, obstruction of justice, customs violations, and violations of the Clean Air Act. At last count, it is paying more than $20 billion in fines and settlements of various lawsuits. Top executives have lost their jobs, and a handful might see jail time. VW of America has dropped diesel from its lineup and has no current plans to ever bring it back. Surely these penalties are enough, right?
Not to families such as the Morrettas, for which VW’s deception is a deeply personal betrayal. The only thing Luke needs to understand is how right he is to feel outraged and how justified he is to act on these emotions.
Read our interview with one of the principals who discovered the software “cheat mode” HERE.
Underscoring what is right and wrong is not our job, but highlighting the consequences of wrongdoing certainly is. We pride ourselves on reporting news across the auto industry as squarely and soberly as we can, with no punches pulled but no extra shots delivered. Moral discussions we leave up to readers, and the passionate ones never fail to deliver.
In holding us accountable, readers such as Luke demand honesty from the companies we report on and vehicles we evaluate. After all, MT does not stand for moral turpitude.
Photo of Eagle Scout badge by Jane Nishimoto
More from Ed Loh:
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- Kaizen of the Year
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The post The Moral Cost of Dieselgate – The Lohdown appeared first on Motor Trend.
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