B2 – Upper Intermediate
It has been more than a decade since car makers started focusing on producing diesel vehicles thinking that these cars are excellent for the environment. According to some recent scientific evidences, this is not exactly the case, and there are even pleads to decrease the number of diesel cars in several cities.
Diesel sales were already waning. Needless to say, this controversy came at a bad time. Find out more about this scandal from this BBC article.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772
Discussion Questions:
- What are thoughts on this “diesel dupe” scandal involving Volkswagen?
- How has this accusation affected the company and other car manufacturers?
- How can a company that’s been involved in a scandal win back their customers’ trust?
- If executives and managers wilfully misled officials or their own superiors, should heads roll? Explain your stand.
- Talk about what you know about emissions test in your country.
6 replies on “The Volkswagen Scandal”
What are thoughts on this “diesel dupe” scandal involving Volkswagen?
bad news for diesel cars owners, but good news becuase fraud was discover, and it will cost for VW who must pay a fortune and wash their good name.
How has this accusation affected the company and other car manufacturers?
Well, VW broke the trust of their customers and the public and it has impacted the shares fall down and sales of diesel cars.
How can a company that’s been involved in a scandal win back their customers’ trust?
Using strickt conditions for the enviromental test performed to their cars and showing the results as they are.
If executives and managers wilfully misled officials or their own superiors, should heads roll? Explain your stand.
Of course, nobody should misled the officials nor the customers. responsibles must be relegated of their jobs. This is part of the way to win customers trust.
Good going with your writing practice. Keep at it!
Here is how this sentence can be written properly:
Continue being consistent.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are thoughts on this “diesel dupe” scandal involving Volkswagen?
The Diesel dupe is a clear example of how some companies aren’t truly committed to protecting the environment or respecting laws meant to safeguard people and nature. What happened is not only terrible but also deeply embarrassing, and it definitely damages the company’s reputation.
2. How has this accusation affected the company and other car manufacturers?
As mentioned earlier, the company’s reputation has taken a serious hit, and for many people, this can be enough to make them reconsider buying cars from that brand (or other car manufacturers).So it’s not just about reputation; it also affects car sales and consumer trust.
3. How can a company that’s been involved in a scandal win back their customers’ trust?
On one hand, the company need to take real action to repair the environmental damage—like stopping the production of diesel cars and focusing only on electric vehicles moving forward. On the other hand, they should compensate the customers who bought the affected cars, considering they were misled at the time of purchase.
4. If executives and managers wilfully misled officials or their own superiors, should heads roll? Explain your stand.
I think an internal investigation is required in this situation to identify the individuals responsible for the decision. They should be punished by being banned from working in the car industry and held accountable by the courts of the countries involved, in order to prevent this from happening again. Otherwise, the message to other companies in similar situations is that there’s no real consequence when harm is done to the environment.
5. Talk about what you know about emissions test in your country.
I’m not very familiar with emissions testing itself, but I know about some initiatives taken by cities. For instance, to reduce car emissions, some vehicles are banned from entering specific areas—supposedly the old ones wich mean higher pollution levels. However, this system doesn’t seem to work because it’s based on the car’s manufacturing year.
It’s known that some newer models, like certain Ford cars, can actually produce more pollution than older cars from the 80s, mainly due to their size andc ar engine . So, using the manufacturing year as the main criteria isn’t a reliable way to control which cars should be allowed to circulate in cities. Other, more accurate measures should be considered.
Good going with your writing practice. You did very well in answering the discussion questions.
Here is a very minor correction in this sentence:
Impressive work!
1. What are your thoughts on this scandal involving Volkswagen?
I think that VW is a brand that you can’t trust. Not only because of this scandal, but also because they are not a responsible brand when it comes to their clients. If something fails in a VW car, good luck with getting help from the brand’s insurance, as they never seem to admit their mistakes.
2. How has this accusation affected the company and other car manufacturers?
It seems that European car manufacturers have been cheating their clients for years, not only with CO2 emissions but also with the car’s reliability.
3. In your country, do a lot of people drive a VW car? Or do they prefer other brands?
Yes, in Spain, a lot of people have a VW car. Years ago, they were good cars – reliable, cheap, and comfortable. However, nowadays, that’s not the case. They are expensive and not reliable anymore.
4. What are your preferences when it comes to cars?
I prefer Japanese cars. They are not cheap, but they are very reliable and comfortable cars.
Interesting reading your insights regarding this controversy involving Volkswagen.
To express comparison from previous situation, you may write it this way:
Keep it up!