The Dark Side of Volkswagen - Greenpeace

Volkswagen speaks of being ‘determined to become the
world’s leading automaker in terms of both economy
and ecology’, 4 and some of its models regularly feature
in top ten ‘green car’ lists. 5 The company emphasises its
commitment to environmental protection within much
of its public advertising. 6 Yet the bulk of the Volkswagen
Group’s cars continue to be amongst the most polluting
in Europe compared to other volume brands. 7
The company has dragged its feet in reducing the
fuel consumption of its vehicle fleet, and whilst it
has developed the technologies to produce highly
fuel-efficient vehicles, it has not made them widely
available or affordable. And despite its green rhetoric,
Volkswagen is opposing two vital climate policies which
SUMMARY
are needed to drive innovation in Europe and cleaner
technology in the car sector, save drivers money, and
help Europe reduce its damaging dependence on oil.
If the Volkswagen Group is to live up to its promises, the
company must rapidly improve the fuel efficiency of its
products, and put its weight behind strong climate change
policies in Europe. In particular, public support from the
Volkswagen Group for an European greenhouse gas
(GHG) emission reduction target of 30% by the year
2020 would be a powerful sign that the company wants
to be a genuine leader on green issues, whilst support
for stringent car efficiency legislation would show it was
serious about improving the efficiency of its vehicles
and driving down pollution from the car industry.
onE in FiVE nEw CARS Sold in EURopE iS A VolKSwAgEn bRAnd.
3
©Langrock/Zenit/Greenpeace