Germany Probes Possible Bosch Role in VW Diesel Cheating Scandal

Prosecutors in Germany say they are seeking to determine whether Robert Bosch GmbH helped Volkswagen AG develop software that enabled 11 million of the carmaker's diesel-powered vehicles to cheat on exhaust emission tests.

Bosch supplies diesel fuel injection and engine control systems to VW, including what it has described as “standard” emission control software. When the VW cheating scandal became public in September, Bosch quickly asserted that how its customers use its software and engine components are their responsibility.

An unattributed German media report at the time claimed Bosch had warned VW that the way it intended to use Bosch’s software would be illegal. Prosecutors in Stuttgart tell Bloomberg News they have no suspects at the supplier company but launched an investigation because “someone must have produced the software.”

Earlier this month a lawsuit in the U.S. charged that Bosch conspired with VW on the rogue software. The claim, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit, also accuses former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn and Michael Horn, who heads Volkswagen Group of America, of being co-conspirators.