Volkswagen has been caught in an environmental scandal this September. The company has marketed its diesel engine cars, the 2009-2015 TDI Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, Beetle and Audi A3s, and the 2014-2015 Passat, as having illegal amounts of nitrogen oxide emissions. These cars have been armed with a “defeat device” that allows them to release fewer emissions when sensing that they’re being tested to create the illusion of eco-friendliness. Once the car is off of its testing mode, it returns to sputtering nitrogen oxide emissions. 

These emissions have dire consequences for the environment by emitting 40 times more emissions than the legal limit. Cynthia Giles, the E.P.A.’s assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance, stated that “Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health.” The company might face $18 billion charges and has been ordered by the Obama Administration to recall nearly 500,000 cars. 

Volkswagen’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn has recently announced that he is “shocked by the events of the past few days,” and has since resigned from his position.