The move comes amid a massive scandal for the car-making giant, after it acknowledged having installed software on some 11 Million Diesel Vehicles to circumvent emissions tests.
“I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group," Winterkorn said in a 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 wrongdoing on my part," he added.
Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn's full statement:
I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group.The cars, all built in the last 7 years, include the VW Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat models, as well as the Audi A3.
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 wrongdoing 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.
The vehicles all contain a device programmed to detect when they are undergoing official emissions testing, the EPA said. The cars only turn on full emissions control systems during that testing.
The controls are turned off during normal driving situations, the EPA said, allowing the cars to emit more than the legal limit of pollutants
The allegations cover roughly 482,000 diesel passenger cars sold in the United States since 2008. Affected models include:
— Jetta (model years 2009-15)
— Beetle (model years 2009-15)
— Audi A3 (model years 2009-15)
— Golf (model years 2009-15)
— Passat (model years 2014-15)
The Environmental Protection Agency revealed on Friday Sep 18,2015 that Volkswagen had installed software in diesel Volkswagen and Audi models from 2009 to 2015 that helped sidestep the EPA’s required emissions testing
The EPA said VW faces fines of up to $37,500 per vehicle for the violations — a total of more than $18 billion. No final total was announced
Volkswagen,the world’s biggest carmaker by sales has admitted to U.S. regulators that it programmed its cars to detect when they were being tested and alter the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions.
Around 15 billion euros ($16.9 billion) was wiped off the market value of Volkswagen AG following revelations that the German carmaker rigged US emissions tests for about 500,000 diesel cars.
By midday trading in Frankfurt, Volkswagen's share price was 19.3 per cent lower at a three-year low of 130.20 euros. Its dramatic fall weighed heavily on Germany's main stock index, the DAX, which underperformed its peers in Europe with a 0.6 per cent decline.
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