Volkswagen CEO Resigns, Saying He's 'Shocked' By Emissions Scandal

By Bill Chappell / NPR

Published September 23, 2015 at 5:49 AM PDT

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, seen here at last week's Frankfurt Auto Show IAA in Germany, says he is asking the board to accept his resignation.

One day after acknowledging that 11 million Volkswagen-made cars have software that dupes official emissions tests, Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he is resigning from his post.

"I am shocked by the events of the past few days," Winterkorn said in a statement released Wednesday. "Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group."

The news comes as Winterkorn met with Volkswagen's board Wednesday, less than a week after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said that the car company had put software in diesel cars that would turn emissions control systems off when the car isn't being tested.

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The initial U.S. report ordered VW to recall more than 480,000 cars; on Tuesday, the company acknowledged that worldwide, it needs to fix 11 million vehicles (we've posted the list of U.S. models below).

This week, Volkswagen has been billions of dollars stripped away from its market value — including more than $15 billion on Monday alone.

Here's the rest of Winterkorn's statement:

"As CEO I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group. I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrong doing on my part. "Volkswagen needs a fresh start – also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation. "I have always been driven by my desire to serve this company, especially our customers and employees. Volkswagen has been, is and will always be my life. "The process of clarification and transparency must continue. This is the only way to win back trust. I am convinced that the Volkswagen Group and its team will overcome this grave crisis."

As we reported Tuesday, the EPA lists the cars that contain "a sophisticated software device that circumvents EPA emissions standards for certain air pollutants," below:

Jetta (model year 2009-2015)
Jetta Sportwagen (2009-2014)
Beetle (2013-2015)
Beetle Convertible (2013-2015)
Audi A3 (2010-2015)
Golf (2010-2015)
Golf Sportwagen (2015)
Passat (2012-2015)