Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Matthias Mueller said he’s committed to keeping the company’s 12 brands, suggesting the carmaker has the financial means to pull itself out of a nearly three-month-long pollution cheating crisis without selling assets.
Mueller, speaking in his first interview since the scandal broke in late September, said tips from about 100 whistle-blowers didn’t open any new fronts in the investigation. The CEO said he hopes to reach a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency within weeks and make his first official visit in January to the U.S.
“There is no reason whatsoever to get rid of these assets,” Mueller said.
Volkswagen acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that the seeds of its downfall were sown a decade ago because its diesel cars couldn’t pass strict emissions standards in the U.S., where the company has been an also-ran. The cheat devised at the time eventually made its way into some 11 million vehicles.
VW has lost about $8.2 billion in market value since the scandal became public Sept. 18.
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