Thursday, October 15, 2015

Week 2 EOC: Volkswagen Scandal

Jason Cabitac
Survey of Advertising | ADV110 A EAST 250
October 15, 2015

VOLKSWAGEN CEO RESIGNS FOLLOWING EMISSIONS CONTROVERSY

The decision came after last week's revelations by the Environmental Protection Agency that the German automaker had covertly installed a "defeat device" that switched on during emissions tests, making the vehicles appear low-emission.
The company's presidium, a steering committee comprised of advisors and major stockholders, also agreed that Winterkorn was unaware of the diesel engine manipulation. Volkswagen has said that at least $7.3 billion will be set aside to address it.

Dozens of Managers Were Involved in VW’s Diesel Scandal

AT LEAST 30 Volkswagen managers played a role in using software to cheat on emissions testing on more than 10 million diesel cars, Der Spiegel reports.

The German magazine is citing reports by Volkswagen, as well as by law firm Jones Day, and says the managers will likely be suspended.

Meanwhile, VW’s newly chosen head of North America, Winfried Vahland, is leaving the company just two weeks after being designated for the post. According to a Reuters report, Vahland, who’s been running VW’s Skoda brand, is leaving over differences of opinion with the Board.

This week, VW announced it plans to recover from the scandal by increasing its focus on electric cars, including plans for a plug-in hybrid Phaeton sedan.

Volkswagen Plans to Overhaul Diesel Technology in Scandal's Wake

The maker's current 2.0-liter diesel was surreptitiously programmed to produce low levels of smog-causing nitrogen oxides (NOx) during emissions tests, but in a trade-off apparently meant to improve performance and mileage, those TDI engines were allowed to produce significantly higher levels of pollutants in real-world use. VW has confirmed it used the so-called "defeat device" technology in 11 million vehicles sold worldwide over the past seven years, including 482,000 in the U.S.

VW plans to begin a retrofit of the EA 189 diesel starting in January - though repairs in the U.S. may take longer to start because they might require the addition of new hardware, as well as updated software.

Volkswagen scandal...in two minutes

Michael Horn, Volkswagen's U.S. boss, blamed unnamed engineers at the company for the deceptive software that cheated emissions testing. He denied that anyone in senior management made a decision to break the law.

U.S. regulators are looking into a second piece of software that Volkswagen used to control emissions and did not disclose as required. They are studying what the software does, how it may affect vehicle performance, and whether it may have been used to manipulate emissions. Volkswagen said it has withdrawn its application to register 2016 diesels in the U.S.

German prosecutors jumped the gun by announcing an investigation into former CEO Martin Winterkorn for possible fraud related to selling cars with falsified emissions data. Winterkorn is not currently a suspect. He took responsibility for the scandal but denied any wrongdoing when he resigned.


Volkswagen Scandal Puts Spotlight on Europe’s Dirty Air

The Volkswagen scandal is putting new pressure on European policy makers to roll out tougher vehicle-testing standards that measure emissions based on how cars are actually driven, not how they perform in a lab. It is also reinforcing plans by some European cities to restrict diesel vehicles from their streets, a blow to the European auto industry’s huge investments in diesel technology.


Volkswagen has said that millions of cars sold in Europe were installed with emissions-masking software, though no evidence has emerged of other auto makers doing the same thing.


Regulations could also play a role in the discrepancy between lab and road tests: Industry experts say European law allows companies to prep vehicles sent for emissions tests in laboratories so they perform better, for example by testing the cars with a fully charged battery so the engine doesn’t have to work harder to charge the battery as it would on the road.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

As an advertising professional, I make advertisements that are visually pleasing to the consumers eye. It's not so much manipulation; I open the door visually to help people understand a products purpose and hopefully persuade a viewer to become a consumer. I focus on originality, precision, and persistence in my work. My final products represent my hard work for perfection. The work I put out reflects the company but at the same time it has my own touch so that in every advertisement there is a hint of my own theme. I don’t settle for under quality work, and nor should the viewers of my advertisements. My goal as an advertising professional is to sell products in a high quality manner that is productive yet at the same time does not give out the sense of urgency or desperateness. I will be recognized for my work and I am determined to sell products in a creative and pleasing way. The viewers of my work will not be wasting time by looking advertisements. Instead, they will pleased, visually, in what they see and by chance be persuaded to purchase said item or product.