COMMENT: From defeat device to profit warning

It was all starting to go right for the Volkswagen group.

Following the upheaval and boardroom shenanigans that took place in April, a new Chairman was as good as confirmed, pending a formality in November. Martin Winterkorn's contract as Chief Executive was to be extended to 2018 at a board meeting on Friday 25 September - again, seen as a formality. The Suzuki fiasco had been solved for Volkswagen, thanks to a court decision forcing VW to sell its 19.9% stake in the Japanese OEM; the much-needed low-cost car had been confirmed, initially for China, ticking off another criticism of the "old" Volkswagen.