Dutch road safety experts worried about Tesla self-driving system

DutchNews, October 26, 2015

Dutch road safety organisation VVN said on Monday it is concerned that motorists with the new Tesla Model S, which can be fitted with a self-driving system, will be tempted to take their hands off the wheel. 

The US car company has been given the green light to roll out its autopilot software all over the globe and that means 2,000 Dutch owners will also be able to use it, the Telegraaf says on Monday. 

The package includes an ‘auto steerage’ system which automatically keeps a car in a lane and away from the vehicle in front. The car can also park itself, change lanes and warn about blind corners. 

VVN says it is worried about the impact on road safety. Even though Telsa itself says drivers should always keep their hands on the wheel, ‘owners will not be able to resist temptation’, the organisation said. ‘And we do not consider this to be responsible.’ 

The VVN says self-driving software should only be permitted when it has been shown to be 100% safe. There are many videos in circulation showing near accidents involving the Tesla S, the organisation pointed out. 

Tesla says the autopilot system does not relieve the driver of responsibility. ‘Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when conditions are clear. The driver is still responsible for, and ultimately in control of, the car,’ the company said in a statement.

Related Article:

Tesla installs 'autopilot' update on its electric cars

And Eindhoven makes three: Stella Lux wins cruiser class Solar race

DutchNews, October 25, 2015

Photo: World Solar Challenge

Dutch students have taken the second big prize at the World Solar Challenge in Australia thanks to Eindhoven University, which won the cruiser class competition for family cars. 

The Stella Lux crossed the finishing line in second place behind a Japanese car but won the top prize on points because it was more comfortable and could carry more passengers, the organisers said. 

The two-man team completed the 3,000 kilometre Australia crossing with an average speed of 76 kph. Eindhoven were defending champions, having taken the prize when the cruiser class was launched two years ago. 

The World Solar Challenge takes place every two years. Last week, Delft University took top place in the challenger event, which is all about speed, narrowly beating students from Twente into second place.

WE DID IT!! WORLD CHAMPIONS!! @WorldSolarChlg #stellalux pic.twitter.com/oCtzbymTwH

— Solar Team Eindhoven (@SolarEHV) October 25, 2015

Related  Article:

Dutch students take first and second place in solar car power race across Australia

The Nuna 8 on its way. Photo: Nuna Sola Power team

BMW to build new Mini convertible in the Netherlands

Dutchnews, October 23, 2015

Part of the production line.
Photo: VDL Nedcar

The VDL Nedcar factory in Born will begin production of the new Mini convertible next month, news agency ANP says on Friday. 

The Mini convertible is the second car to be made in Born since the factory relaunched after Mitsubishi pulled out in 2012. The plant also produces Mini’s 3-door hatchbacks. 

The Born plant is the only place in the world where BMW will produce the new version of the Mini, ANP says.

 VDL Nedcar is now an independent car manufacturer with a workforce of some 2,350. That is 850 more than when Mitsubishi pulled out, the Financieele Dagblad says. The new Mini deal will not lead to any further expansion in the workforce in the short term, the paper says.

Dutch students take first and second place in solar car power race across Australia

DutchNews, October 22, 2015

The Nuna 8 on its way. Photo: Nuna Sola Power team

A team of Delft University students have won the World Solar Challenge solar car race across Australia for the sixth time. 

The Nuna 8 car crossed the finishing line in Adelaide at 10.30 local time after a 3,000 kilometre race across Australia from Darwin. In total, 42 cars from 25 countries took part. 

The Red One solar car, built by students at Twente University, had been in the lead for three days but was passed by the Nuna 8 towards the end of the penultimate day. 

According to Australian broadcaster ABC, cloud cover on the final day caused some anxiety about how much power each team would have. 

The third Dutch team, from Eindhoven University, is taking part in a different class which is not just about speed. Their family Stella Lux car was in second place.

We did it!! We kept the world title of solar racing in Delft!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ToSdIv4muB

— Nuon Solar Team (@NuonSolarTeam) October 22, 2015

. @vvanderchijs bedankt! We are proud! Twentse trots! #wsc15 #flyingdutchmen pic.twitter.com/JaBmVoJPTH

— Solar Team Twente (@solarteamtwente) October 22, 2015

Related Article:

And Eindhoven makes three: Stella Lux wins cruiser class Solar race - New

WE DID IT!! WORLD CHAMPIONS!! @WorldSolarChlg #stellalux pic.twitter.com/oCtzbymTwH

— Solar Team Eindhoven (@SolarEHV) October 25, 2015

US to require recreational drones to be registered

Yahoo – AFP, 19 Oct 2015

Drones fly at the 2015 International Consumer Eletronics Show at the Las

Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2015 (AFP Photo/Ethan Miller)

Washington (AFP) - Owners of recreational drones in the United States will soon have to register them with authorities, the government said Monday, as the popular devices are increasingly seen as a hazard in the skies.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Michael Huerta told a joint news conference they were setting up a task force to move ahead with the plans.

"We do intend to move very quickly," Foxx said.

"It is my hope that the task force will complete its recommendations in the middle part of November, with the goal of having some rules in place by the middle part of December."

"This year pilots have reported seeing unmanned aircraft twice as frequently as they did in 2014," he told reporters in explaining the decision.

The risk of collision with aircraft is a key concern, but the proliferation of drones has also raised fears over security and privacy.

Earlier this month, a man was fined for flying a small drone over Washington's National Mall and landing it near the White House, thought to be the third such incident this year.

Firefighters combatting wildfires in California this summer urged people to stop flying drones to film the blazes, saying they were getting in the way of their helicopters and planes.

A drone also crashed into empty seats in a stadium at the US Open tennis tournament in New York in September.

Related Article:

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China, Indonesia sign $5.5 bn high-speed rail deal

Yahoo – AFP, 16 Oct 2015

China and Indonesia have officially sealed the deal for a medium-speed

railway project connecting Jakarta and Bandung. (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo)

Chinese and Indonesian state-owned companies Friday signed a $5.5 billion deal to build the first high-speed railway in Southeast Asia's top economy, after Beijing beat Tokyo to win the construction project.

The line will connect the Indonesian capital Jakarta with the mountain-fringed city of Bandung, some 160 kilometres (100 miles) away, and is a key part of President Joko Widodo's plans to overhaul the archipelago's infrastructure and attract investors.

Japan was long expected to build the railway but China entered the contest earlier this year, and Tokyo's bid was rejected last month after a chaotic bidding process that infuriated the Japanese.

On Friday the chairman of state-owned China Railway International, Yang Zhongmin, signed a deal with a consortium of Indonesian state companies to form a joint venture to build the railway, with construction set to start next year and the line to begin operating in 2019.

"This high-speed train will make it easier for the public to travel," he told reporters in Jakarta, where the deal was inked. "This major project will also provide major employment opportunities and boost the economy."

State-owned China Development Bank will provide 75 percent of the funding, with the rest coming from the Chinese railway company and Indonesian consortium.

The railway line will not need any financing from the Indonesian government, nor a government guarantee. One reason that Indonesian officials gave for rejecting the Japanese bid was that it would require government funding.

The high-speed train route will cover eight stations from Jakarta to Bandung, and the train will travel at around 250 kilometres (150 miles) an hour.

The Indonesian government repeatedly changed its mind about the railway project, before eventually agreeing to accept China's bid for a high-speed line.

The chaotic bidding process and final decision angered Tokyo, which is increasingly competing with Beijing for influence in Asia, with chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga slamming it as "extremely regrettable".

Japan's loss came despite its reputation as a world-class train maker, famed for its "shinkansen" bullet trains.

China has built thousands of kilometres of high-speed railway in recent years, but its safety standards have come under scrutiny -- a 2011 crash killed at least 40 people and injured about 200.

Tesla installs 'autopilot' update on its electric cars

Yahoo – AFP, Sophie Estienne, 15 Oct 2015

The new autopilot software will allow the Model S vehicles to steer within a lane, 

change lanes by tapping a turn signal as well as parallel park on command 

(AFP Photo/Robyn Beck)

San Francisco (AFP) - High-end electric vehicle maker Tesla is taking a major step toward self-driving cars by installing new autopilot software Thursday in North America to automatically change lanes, manage speed and even hit the brakes.

Self-driving capabilities -- previously limited to cars tested by technology titans such as Google -- hit the streets "overnight" with the latest Tesla Version 7.0 software, the company said Wednesday.

The feature, unveiled Wednesday, is being added to thousands of Tesla's Model S cars already on the road. By June 30, Tesla had already sold nearly 80,000 of the four-door sedans.

Tesla says it has sold nearly 80,000

 of the four-door Model S sedans (AFP

Photo/Josh Edelson)

The so-called Version 7.0 software is due to hit the European and Asian markets next week after obtaining the required authorization.

"We're being especially cautious at this early stage so we are advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case," Tesla founder and chief executive Elon Musk told reporters.

"In the long term, people will not need hands on the wheel, and eventually there won't be (steering) wheels or pedals."

Autopilot allows Model S to steer within a lane, change lanes by tapping a turn signal and manage speed using "traffic-aware" cruise control.

The car can also scan for available parking spaces, alert drivers when one is spotted and then parallel park on command.

A year ago, the California-based company began equipping Model S cars with radar, cameras, ultrasonic sensors and other hardware to begin incrementally introducing self-driving capabilities.

But the new software has its limits. It still can't recognize the color of traffic lights, though it can alert drivers to parking spots.

On its website, Tesla acknowledged that "truly driverless cars are still a few years away."

"Tesla Autopilot functions like the systems that airplane pilots use when conditions are clear," it explained.

"The driver is still responsible for, and ultimately in control of, the car."

The autosteer capability is still in beta form, Musk stressed, adding that the system would be updating itself systematically across the whole network of connected cars.

Tesla sold about 11,580 Model S cars during the third quarter.

Model X SUVs, which the group put on the market several weeks ago in a limited release, are also due to get the software.

But vehicle owners will have to pay an extra $2,500 for the autopilot software, either at the time of purchase or later.

Driver still in charge

Tesla founder and chief executive Elon Musk

 said the new autopilot software was being

 added to its Model S vehicles (AFP Photo/

Jan Hennop)

Alongside the connected car, autonomous driving is one of the new buzzwords in the automobile sector.

Most automakers are rushing to invest in driverless technology, seen as the future in the industry.

What makes Tesla stand out, however, is the fact that the cars are electric. The company boasts "supercar acceleration" that allows vehicles to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds.

Among the best developed autopilot prototypes is Alphabet's Google Car, already on the road in several US states.

The Google car uses the same technology as its fleet of Lexus SUVs, which has logged about a million miles (1.6 million kilometers).

Mercedes presented a futuristic car with a traffic-jam assist that allows the car to steer, brake and accelerate on its own at slow speeds.

Earlier this month, Toyota presented a car that can drive itself along a highway.

The car, a modified Lexus GS, uses sophisticated sensors to navigate roads, merge lanes and overtake other vehicles.

The company hopes to make other cars with similar features available within five years, in time for Tokyo's hosting of the Olympics.

But South Korea's Hyundai has warned about the complex legal challenges of self-driving cars.

While fully autopilot systems without any human involvement could be ready by 2025, such technology would also bring with it "huge, huge challenges for our legal systems," European operations chief Thomas Schmid cautioned.

"Who is responsible for what? I'm not convinced until now that is a process which can be done in the next 10-15 years."

Indeed, existent law does not yet allow for completely autonomous, driver-less cars on the roads. And consumers will also have to adapt.

Buk missile brought down MH17, airspace should have been closed

DutchNews, October 13, 2015

Photo: OVV.nl

Flight MH17 was brought down by a Buk missile made by Russia, the Dutch safety board which is investigating the cause of the accident, said on Tuesday.

‘We are talking about a 9N314M missile which was fired by a Buk launcher,’ OVV chairman Tjibbe Joustra said. ‘It hit the left-hand side of the cockpit. This is why the cockpit broke off from the body of the plane.’ 

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was brought down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. Most were Dutch nationals. 

Joustra also said that airspace above eastern Ukraine should have been closed because of the risk to aircraft.

‘Well before the disaster there was information available which pointed to the fact that civil aviation faced dangers,’ he said. ‘But despite this information, Ukraine did not close the airspace.’ 

According to the report, 16 Ukrainian military aircraft had been shot down by rebel forces prior to the crash.

‘Not just Ukraine but airlines, other countries and international organisations did not adequately estimate the risks,’ he said. ‘No-one thought about the risk to a civilian aircraft.’ 

Victims

The report also says the three crew members in the cockpit were killed by the missile explosion instantly, and that traces of the missile were found in their bodies. 

However, it is unclear at which point the other occupants died and the possibility that some remained conscious for up to 90 seconds could not be ruled out, the report said. 

One passenger was found with an oxygen mask around their neck. The report said there is no information about how this body was found on the ground. Nor was there dna or fingerprint evidence to determine if the mask been put on by the victim. 

Responsibility

The long-awaited report, which does not state who was responsible for firing the rocket, was presented to the public at the Gilze-Rijen airbase in the early afternoon. 

Despite the international interest, journalists were not allowed to ask questions about the report’s contents, Dutch media reported. 

The investigation into who is responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airways flight MH17 will continue well into next year, a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service said earlier this week. 

Russia

Russia, which presented the results of its own investigation into the crash also on Tuesday, has strongly denied the Dutch claims that one of its missiles caused the crash. 

Officials from the Buk manufacturers held their own news conference in Moscow earlier on Tuesday. 

According to Ian Novikov, director of the Buk missile factory, its tests show that the plane was brought down by an older missile, a type produced in the days of the Soviet Union and used by the Ukrainian army. 

The OVV report

The wrecked fuselage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is presented to the press during

 a presentation of the final report on the cause of its crash, at the Gilze Rijen airbase

October 13, 2015 (AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand)

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Blame game resumes over who shot MH17 with a missile
Russia says 'serious doubts' about goal of Dutch MH17 probe: ministry

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Aug 3, 2014) - (MH17)

Nepal running on empty

Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu, is usually a bustling hot pot of bumper-to-bumper traffic, noise, pollution and the odd cow on the road. But nowadays it's eerily quiet, as Sophie Cousins discovered.

Deutsche Welle, 11 Oct 2015

On the main roads you can count on your hand the number of cars and motorbikes that drive by; bicycles are now the main mode of transport. On a positive note, the smog has lifted from the city to showcase the wide-ranging, snow-capped Himalayas, which draws thousands of tourists to the land-locked country every year.

But, while it may be quiet on the streets of the capital, it's a different story at petrol stations across the city. Taxis have been lined up at petrol stations in southwest Kathmandu for the last week, unable to work due to the fuel crisis.

"I have been waiting in my car, queuing, for the last six days. The situation is very bad. What can I do? I need fuel to work," taxi driver Trilocan M.R told DW, while dusting his white, beaten-up taxi. "Maybe by Sunday or Monday I will be able to get fuel."

Waiting for hours for a meager
amount of fuel

A blockade on Nepal's border with India has halted imports, disrupting supplies for more than two weeks during clashes between police and protesters opposing the country's new constitution that have seen more than 40 people killed.

Reliant on India

Nepal is completely reliant on India for all its fuel, food and medicine imports. Thousands of trucks are stranded at the border, which has lead to a severe shortage of fuel, resulting in school and restaurant closures, astronomical taxi prices and public transport shortages. As the blockade on the border shows no sign of easing, Nepal is now considering airlifting fuel from either Bangladesh or Malaysia, according to local news reports, and may build a petroleum storage plant near its border with China.

Back at the petrol station, the army and police try to control crowds as they line up with jerricans and empty bottles of water.

People in the crowd push and shove one another in attempt to reach the only pump with fuel, yelling with frustration that they've been standing for more than 12 hours.

As a result of the critical fuel shortage, taxi drivers are now charging four times the fare to make up for the days they haven't been able to work.

At Purano Bus Park in central Kathmandu the scene is chaotic as hundreds of Nepalis cram onto the rooftop of the limited buses that are still running; babies are passed around over people's heads, and the elderly are shoved and pushed until they get a seat inside. Those who don't manage to squeeze onto the bus, hang off the side of its doors, or stay and wait, hoping for another bus to arrive.

There have been chaotic scenes
in Kathmandu

Tourists staying away

The fuel shortage is not only affecting transport around the country. Restaurants and hotels have been hit hard by another issue making headlines around the world, only a few months since the devastating earthquake that killed more than 9,000 people.

While tourists are slowly returning to the country for the trekking season, hoteliers fear that the latest crisis will further deter people from visiting.

Numerous restaurants have been forced to shut down or offer very limited menus. The only seemingly bustling restaurants in the tourist district were those that can serve wood-fire pizza.

Keshab, owner of Karma Travellers Home, a small hotel in the tourist district of Thamel, said the fuel shortage was of huge concern. "The situation is terrible," he told DW. "I have a few customers but nowhere near as many as I usually would for this time of the year. Customers who are coming to Kathmandu are emailing me asking if there's food to eat because of the fuel shortages. I tell them yes, you have breakfast for as long as I have gas, but after then, no," adding that he'd sent his children back to his village where there is firewood.

After the earthquake, Keshab saw a huge spike in the number of cancellations and is worried that the strikes and fuel crisis could further affect his business.

"Nepal, I think, is a beautiful country. When people come here they say they feels like home, that they like it much better than India. I hope this crisis will be resolved soon."

The crisis is also affecting Nepal's world-famous forests, thousands of which are under control of locals to for sustainability purposes. Krishna Bahadur Khadka from the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal, an umbrella organization of community forests across the county, said he was highly concerned about the spike in demand for firewood.

"The fuel situation is a big crisis for the community forests where now more people are getting firewood for cooking," he told DW.

"We are worried that people are now cutting down trees which means carbon emissions are being increased and contributing to deforestation."

Russian maker of missile that destroyed MH17 to explain disaster

Yahoo – AFP, 9 Oct 2015

A picture taken on October 15, 2014 shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines

flight MH17 near the village of Rassipnoe (AFP Photo/Dominique Faget)

Moscow (AFP) - The Russian manufacturer of the missile system blamed for shooting down flight MH17 said Friday it would unveil the "real reasons" for the disaster on the same day Dutch investigators present their final report on the tragedy.

Almaz-Antey, the maker of the BUK surface-to-air system that the West and Kiev believe downed MH17, said it would present its version of events at a press conference on Tuesday after holding an "experiment" that entailed detonating a missile next to a plane.

The company will air its claims on the same day that Dutch investigators issue their report following a 15-month probe.

All 298 people onboard were killed when the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was downed over east Ukraine on July 17 last year.

Almaz-Antey said it would "present the results of a full-scale experiment, a real simulation of an encounter between a BUK-type missile and a passenger plane."

The test "will help understand the real causes of the catastrophe," it said.

Ukraine and many in the West have accused pro-Russian rebels of blowing the airliner out of the sky with a BUK missile supplied from Russia, possibly mistaking it for a Ukrainian warplane.

Moscow has vehemently denied any involvement, providing a range of conflicting theories, including an air-to-air missile putatively launched by a Ukrainian jet.

Almaz-Antey in June said the BUK-M1 type of missile has not been produced in Russia since 1999 and is in the arsenal of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Moscow in July vetoed a UN resolution to establish an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the downing.

Investigators in the Dutch probe have said that they found fragments at the crash site that seem to be from a Russian-made surface-to-air missile. The report findings next week are expected to provide details but will not assign blame.

Related Article:

Juncker says EU needs a better attitude towards Russia

Dutch flag carrier KLM to cut management by 25%, boost efficiency

DutchNews, October 1, 2015

Dutch airline KLM is poised to cut a quarter of its managerial jobs and support functions, broadcaster Nos says, after acquiring a copy of the reorganisation plan. 

The document states that KLM is too complex, too slow and too expensive. The company is too hierarchical, has too many managers and ‘has lost sight of its customers’. Slashing costs will involve ‘flipping all the switches’, Nos says. 

According to KLM, this means 25% of managers will lose their jobs and those who remain will have bigger departments to deal with. In addition, support, HR and communications departments, can be streamlined and made more efficient. 

The job cuts should lead to savings of €40m a year, Nos says. 

The plan was sent to the airline’s works council on July 8 and it has reacted positively, Nos says. 

The reorganisation has been on the cards for some time. A spokesman told the broadcaster that the changes would make KLM more future-proof but declined to say how many jobs will actually be lost.

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Software developer Valve Corp in Bellevue, WA, has

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Zappos is going holacratic: no job titles, no managers, no hierarchy


"The New Paradigm of Reality" Part I/II – Feb 12, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, ..... etc.) (> 28 Min)

VVD leader in Europe is paid RAI advisor, lobbies for car industry

DutchNews, September 30, 2015

Photo: Moritz Kosinsky via
Wikimedia Commons

Dutch MP Hans van Baalen, who leads the VVD delegation in Brussels, is a paid advisor to the car industry, according to news website F-site. 

Van Baalen, who has had a modest €4,000 role as advisor to the motoring organisation RAI, now earns €8,000 a year as a supervisory board member at Mercedes-Benz in the Netherlands, the website says. 

Last year Van Baalen called for ‘fewer rules’ for the car industry in an opinion piece in the Volkskrant. He also urged the Dutch government to ensure ‘taboo-free’ negotiations with the US over a trade treaty that will make it easier for car manufacturers to do business in the US and harmonise some rules. 

He wrote the article as VVD leader in the European parliament but did not mention his role with the RAI, which considers European lobbying to be a key task. 

Van Baalen is also on the Mercedes-Benz payroll as a member of the supervisory board. Mercedes-Benz is also active in influencing Brussels policy and opposes tougher environmental roles for car manufacturers. 

According to F-site, Van Baalen’s work conflicts with the strict integrity rules which the VVD applies to its politicians. These state: ‘you will not hold any other positions which could form a risk to you carrying out your job with integrity’. 

Van Baalen told the website he did not consider his independence was under threat. ‘I keep the VVD’s rules. I am not a spokesman for the car industry so there is no problem. And I do declare my earnings to the tax office.’ 

He said he did not consider his comments in the Volkskrant had broken the rules or highlighted a conflict of interest.

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Shell scraps oil exploration in Arctic off Alaska over costs

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…5 - Integrity That May Surprise…

The Unthinkable… Politics, A Review

Humans will begin to search for integrity and fairness and it's going to happen in the places you never expect. I said this last week, so this is a review. There'll come a time when you will demand this of your politics - fairness and integrity. So when the candidates start calling each other names, you will turn your back on them and they won't get any votes. They're going to get the point real fast, don't you think? How about that?

Let me give you another potential. This country that I sit in right now [USA] will set the mold for that particular attribute. I have no clock. Watch for the youngsters to set this in motion, and they will, for they are the voters of tomorrow and they do not want the energy of today. To some of them, it's so abominable they won't even register to vote in this energy. You're going to see this soon. That was number five.. ..."

German Finance Minister Schäuble sees 'greed' in VW scandal

German Finance Minister Schäuble has said VW's scandal is about "greed" but does not fear for the German market. His comments come ahead of VW's executive meeting to examine the findings from an internal investigation.

Deutsche Welle, 30 Sep 2015

The logo of German carmaker Volkswagen is seen at a VW dealership in
Hamburg, Germany

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble weighed in on the emissions-rigging scandal rocking German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) on Wednesday.

"It is greed for fame, for recognition. One looks at it in amazement and always sees how it ends up," Schäuble said in an interview with the news provider "RedaktionsNetzwerk." He said competition is "incredibly rough, if you want to be successful on the global market."

VW's scandal is a massive embarrassment for Germany, as well. For years, the country lobbied against stricter regulations for automakers and held up VW as an example of outstanding German engineering. "In the end, VW will no longer be what it has been. A lot will change from a structural perspective," said Schäuble.

Many fear that the scandal will have a negative effect on the German economy as well since VW employs more than 600,000 people worldwide and is a major part of the country's exports. Schäuble rejected these claims saying: "We will emerge from the crisis stronger. We learn from crises."

Internal Investigation

The executive committee of VW is set to meet on Wednesday evening to review the initial results of its internal emissions-rigging investigation, according to Reuters news agency. They will gather at the company headquarters in the northern German city of Wolfsburg along with a representative of the US law firm Jones Day, who will most-likely lead the external investigation.

According to Reuter's anonymous source, an engineer interviewed for the internal probe allegedly warned of illegal practices back in 2011, but no action was taken.

The leadership of the company has also changed hands with Matthias Müller taking the company reins last Friday. German prosecutors are investigating ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn for fraud.

The company admitted to cheating on diesel emissions tests in the US and manipulating tests in Europe, as well. The crisis has wiped out more than one third of the company's market value.

rs/kms (AP, dpa, Reuters)