Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 20) - Volkswagen China Vice President Yang Meihong has finally responded to numerous rumors that her stay at VW may be coming to an end. In a report appearing on Economic Observer News today, Mrs. Yang made a statement on her Weibo account denying the allegations.
"I know these are all rumors," Mrs. Yang's Weibo post begins. Mrs. Yang goes on to thank her supporters, adding that the reason she had not commented on the issue earlier is because she was away on business.
The rumors reportedly started due to an SMS which was anonymously sent to members of VW China and various press outlets. According to the message, the manufacturer's persistent problem with faulty DSG gearboxes in China led to the upcoming termination of VW China CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann, Executive Vice President Zhang Suixin and Mrs. Yang. Not long after, Dr. Neumann was indeed removed from his post. The sender of the message claimed that the information was verified by VW's Chinese joint ventures with SAIC and FAW.
Due to Dr. Neumann's leaving the manufacturer after less than two years of service, rumors quickly began to spread throughout the Chinese press that other VW China executives would soon be removed from their positions. Controversial remarks that Mrs. Yang made regarding the DSG issue further inflamed the allegations.
According to Der Spiegel, the DSG controversy has cost VW at least 400 million euros ($491.52m). VW China previously attempted to placate consumer dissatisfaction by extending warranty coverage. However, this move caused even more problems. There is further speculation that the manufacturer's Chinese branch has purposely concealed the extent of the problem from its headquarters in Germany.
