麻豆约拍

As the first dieselgate trials get underway we examine the scandal's impact on Volkswagen. The former chief executive of its subsidiary Audi faces trial in Germany, and denies any wrongdoing. Jack Ewing of the New York Times in Frankfurt wrote Faster, Higher, Farther: How One of the World's Largest Automakers Committed a Massive Fraud, and reminds us how the story emerged. Ferdinand Dudenhoffer of the Centre for Automotive Research in Duisberg tells us boardroom culture at Volkswagen has now seen a major shift. VW is now focusing on electric vehicle technology, and Peter Carlson, chief executive of Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt explains how the two firms are collaborating. And EU environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius, discusses how the threat of punishment over emissions standards is impacting carmakers' behaviour. Also in the programme, Peter Speigel, US Managing Editor of the Financial Times, gives us his opinion on the 90 minute shouting match that was the first US presidential debate. And Susan Schmidt of Aviva Investors analyses the markets' reaction. Plus, the Bank of England's Chief Economist, Andy Haldane has blamed the media for emphasising the bad news about the pandemic and has called for more optimism. We ask Tali Sharot, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and author of The Optimism Bias, whether being optimistic can make a difference.

(Picture: A Volkswagen logo on a wheel. Picture credit: Reuters.)

(Picture: A Volkswagen logo on a wheel. Picture credit: Reuters.)