Berlin: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn says he is stepping down "in the interests of the company" as it grapples with the emissions scandal.
Wintekorn said in a statement Wednesday that "Volkswagen needs a fresh start also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation."
He said he was acting in the interests of the company "even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part."
A successor was not immediately announced.
Meanwhile, Germany has launched an investigation into allegations agaisnt Volkswagen.
An inquiry commission set up by the government to investigate the charges against the iconic German auto giant will take up its work by visiting Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg in the state of Lower Saxony this week, federal transport minister Alexander Dobrindt announced.
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The commission chaired by state secretary in the transport ministry Michael Odenwald will examine among other things whether the concerned cars were built and tested in conformity with existing German and European guidelines and whether they fulfilled the requirements of Germany's Technical Inspection Agency, which issues the road worthiness certificate for automobiles, Dobrindt told a news conference yesterday.
The allegations against the world's second-largest auto maker were initially raised by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which last week ordered it to recall nearly half a million diesel cars on the ground that they were fitted with a device which allowed cars to pass emission control tests by showing much lower levels of pollution than in ordinary use.
A special software enabled the cars to detect when they were undergoing emissions control tests and to lower their pollution levels.
It could hide the fact that the emission levels of diesel cars were 40 times higher than the level of pollutants allowed in the US.
(With inputs from agencies)
