{"id":68996,"date":"2025-08-30T00:18:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T04:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/a-decade-after-dieselgate-how-one-scandal-changed-cars-forever\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T00:18:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T04:18:08","slug":"a-decade-after-dieselgate-how-one-scandal-changed-cars-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/a-decade-after-dieselgate-how-one-scandal-changed-cars-forever\/","title":{"rendered":"A Decade After Dieselgate How One Scandal Changed Cars Forever"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Did Dieselgate Really Start, and Why Did It Matter So Much?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s been nearly ten years since Dieselgate first hit the headlines. For many, it started as a confusing blip in the news cycle\u2014just another corporate mishap. But for those inside the auto industry, it was a seismic event. Imagine sitting on a plane, your phone buzzing with a message from your mum: \u201cDoes this thing happening in America affect you?\u201d That was the reality for Alex Smith, then Volkswagen UK\u2019s boss, as the scandal broke.<\/p>\n

Dieselgate wasn\u2019t just about a few cars with dodgy software. It was about trust\u2014between automakers, regulators, and the public. When news surfaced that Volkswagen had installed defeat devices to cheat emissions tests, it shattered the illusion that car companies were playing by the rules. Suddenly, the question wasn\u2019t just \u201cWhat did VW do?\u201d but \u201cWho else is cutting corners?\u201d<\/p>\n

What Happened to Diesel Cars After the Scandal?<\/p>\n

If you drove a diesel in the UK back in 2015, you were in good company. That year, 1.2 million new diesel cars hit the roads. Fast forward to 2024, and that number has plummeted to just 123,000. The drop-off is staggering. According to Philip Nothard, insight director at Cox Automotive, diesel\u2019s share is on track to shrink even further\u2014he predicts that by 2028, only one in every fifty new cars sold in the UK will be diesel.<\/p>\n

The range of diesel models has shrunk too. In 2015, buyers could choose from around 3,220 different diesel vehicles. By 2024, that number had dwindled to just 220. It\u2019s not just a trend\u2014it\u2019s a wholesale market shift.<\/p>\n

Was Diesel\u2019s Decline Inevitable, or Did Dieselgate Speed Things Up?<\/p>\n

Some might argue diesel was always on the way out, especially with electric vehicles (EVs) gaining momentum. But Dieselgate poured fuel on the fire. Suddenly, automakers were scrambling to invest in EV technology, even though the market\u2014and the technology itself\u2014wasn\u2019t quite ready for prime time. Volkswagen, in particular, made bold promises about going electric, but the transition proved more complicated than anyone expected.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the initial rush to ditch internal combustion engines (ICE) for EVs has given way to a more pragmatic approach. Many carmakers have quietly stopped making bold \u201call-EV by 2030\u201d promises. Instead, they\u2019re hedging their bets, continuing to invest in cleaner ICE technology while also pushing forward with electrification. The mood has shifted from idealism to realism.<\/p>\n

How Did Dieselgate Change the Relationship Between Car Makers and Regulators?<\/p>\n

One of the most lasting impacts of Dieselgate is the erosion of trust between automakers and lawmakers. Before the scandal, car companies had a seat at the table when it came to shaping regulations\u2014what they could sell, how long they could sell it, and under what conditions. After Dieselgate, that influence took a major hit.<\/p>\n

Legislators became more skeptical, and the industry lost much of its credibility. As Mike Hawes, chief of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), recalls, the narrative quickly shifted from \u201cVW cheated\u201d to \u201cmaybe they\u2019re all cheating.\u201d That suspicion led to more investigations, tighter regulations, and a sense that the industry\u2019s word was no longer good enough.<\/p>\n

Did Other Car Makers Get Caught Up in the Scandal?<\/p>\n

Volkswagen may have been the face of Dieselgate, but they weren\u2019t alone. Other manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, found themselves under the microscope. In 2020, Mercedes settled with the California Air Resources Board\u2014the same agency that first flagged VW\u2019s defeat devices. Some companies were investigated but ultimately cleared, while others faced fines and settlements.<\/p>\n

The scandal exposed a broader issue: emissions testing was vulnerable to manipulation, and the temptation to game the system was widespread. It wasn\u2019t just about one bad actor; it was a wake-up call for the entire industry.<\/p>\n

How Has Volkswagen Changed Since Dieselgate?<\/p>\n

Today, Volkswagen is almost unrecognizable compared to its pre-scandal self. The company has overhauled its leadership, rebranded its image, and poured billions into electric vehicles and new technologies. Yet, Dieselgate still casts a long shadow. Every financial report comes with a footnote: \u201cBefore diesel expenses.\u201d It\u2019s a constant reminder of the cost\u2014financial and reputational\u2014of cutting corners.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Big Takeaway for Drivers and the Industry?<\/p>\n

Dieselgate\u2019s legacy is complicated. On one hand, it accelerated the shift toward cleaner vehicles and forced automakers to take emissions seriously. On the other, it revealed just how fragile trust can be\u2014and how quickly it can be lost.<\/p>\n

For drivers, the lesson is clear: the cars we buy and the companies we support matter. Transparency and accountability aren\u2019t just buzzwords; they\u2019re essential for building a better, cleaner future on the road. And for the industry, Dieselgate is a cautionary tale\u2014one that\u2019s still shaping decisions, investments, and reputations a decade later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"exhaust<\/a><\/p>\n

September 2025 marks a decade since Dieselgate broke \u2013 and its impact continues to ripple through the industry<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI was sitting on a plane on a Friday night, waiting to take off at Heathrow ahead of a weekend away, and my mum texted me: \u2018Does this thing happening in America affect you?\u2019\u00a0To be honest, I was in the dark like everyone else. I didn\u2019t really think about it on the flight. Then over the weekend, things developed quite quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ex-Volkswagen UK boss Alex Smith, now chairman of dealer group Lookers, is recalling the very start of a scandal that began to break a decade ago next month: Dieselgate<\/a>. The fines, firings and fixes are well documented, but what impact has it left on VW, the wider car industry and the black pump?<\/p>\n

To deal with the last point first, the scandal hasn\u2019t quite killed off diesel in the UK but it\u2019s close enough. In 2015, some 1.2 million new diesel cars were sold here; in 2024, it was just 123,000.<\/p>\n

Philip Nothard, insight director at Cox Automotive, expects that decline will continue and diesel will account for just one in 50 new car sales in 2028. \u201cIn 2015, there were around 3220 diesel models [on sale in the UK]. By 2024, that number had fallen to just 220,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the decline of diesel was inevitable anyway, with the imminent rise of EVs. But the scandal did hasten investments in EVs, which in hindsight were far away from marketreadiness, VW\u2019s included.<\/p>\n

With Dieselgate still front of mind, many car makers spent the latter part of the 2010s pledging to be selling only EVs by as early as the late 2020s, yet now the mood is such that not only are end dates no longer being pledged but investment in ICE tech is continuing. Pragmatism has emerged.<\/p>\n

However, VW\u2019s actions meant car makers lost clout with legislators in having a say in what they are allowed to sell and for how long. Trust had been eroded.<\/p>\n

As for the effect of Dieselgate on the wider industry, SMMT chief Mike Hawes recalls how even by the middle of the first full week, phase two had begun: \u201cI jumped on the tube at 7am to get to St Pancras, and by the time I popped up, I had missed calls from the BBC, Sky, the Financial Times. I thought: \u2018It\u2019s not going to be a good day, is it?\u2019 It [the narrative] morphed into \u2018if one of them [car makers] was cheating, they were all cheating\u2019. It absolutely kicked off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other car makers were dragged into the scandal and some were indeed caught fitting test defeat devices. Mercedes-Benz<\/a> was the next most high profile after VW, settling in 2020 with the same California Air Resources Board that kick-started the events in 2015. Others were investigated without claims being proven. This was not a scandal isolated to VW, even if it bore the brunt.<\/p>\n

VW is now a very different company in how it looks and presents itself, yet it can\u2019t fully escape Dieselgate. In its financial results reports always sits this footnote: \u2018Before diesel expenses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}