Whistleblower behind CO2 cheating disclosure: VW

Frankfurt

VOLKSWAGEN'S (VW) recent disclosure that it reported false fuel economy and carbon dioxide (CO2) readings to European regulators was prompted by an internal whistleblower, the company said on Sunday.

VW admitted last Tuesday it had under-reported CO2 emissions on 800,000 diesel and gasoline-powered cars in Europe. That disclosure added to the carmaker's credibility problems, which began in September when it admitted that it had installed software on millions of its diesel cars in recent years to enable them to cheat on air-pollution tests.