by Gabrielle DeSantis

Climate change continues impacting lives and the environment in various ways. For that reason, everyone has a part to play in conserving the environment. That includes companies like Volkswagen Group as well as the authorities. That explains why automakers are investing in technology that focuses on reducing emissions. Doing so yields a significant impact because it ensures that gas-powered vehicles do not leave Mother Earth gasping for breath due to air pollution. Unfortunately, when car manufacturers collude in emissions plots, such as in the case of Dieselgate, they deal that objective a blow. When that happens, the environment, as well as humans, remains at risk.

VW, BMW, and Daimler emissions plot

Surprisingly, German automakers known for producing high-end vehicles spent years colluding to slow the deployment of cleaner emissions technology, which is illegal. The scheme is not dissimilar to Volkswagen Group’s massive Dieselgate scandal. The VW scandal involved the installation of software on Volkswagen diesel vehicles to fake compliant emission ratings. The intention, in this case, was to fool environmental regulators into believing that the company was compliant.

Unfortunately, the firm’s vehicles were polluting far more than the acceptable limit. Eventually, Dieselgate ended in nearly $40 billion in legal fees, fines, and buybacks. Volkswagen Group had to bear this burden. Additionally, Daimler also installed software on some of its diesel vehicles. The plan was to cheat emission tests, and the organization has since paid billions of dollars in fines.

The collusion around diesel emissions dated back to the 1990s, which revealed the existence of an emissions cartel. That is when EU authorities announced a probe into the allegations. They also raided the accused automaker’s corporate offices, searching for evidence. A formal accusation of the car manufacturers by the EU happened in 2019. However, the conduct for the fines for the firms in question took place between 2009 and 2014.

BMW and VW get half-billion-dollar fines each

According to The New York Times, a collective fine of $1 billion was levied against BMW and Volkswagen by the EU’s executive branch. Both organizations were fined for participating in the emissions plot. On its part, Daimler evaded the fine it should have paid since it revealed details about the collusion to the regulators. It is also worth mentioning that the center of the fines that the EU levied was “exhaust gas purification.” 

Also, according to the authorities, Daimler, VW, and BMW agreed on details regarding the sizes of the tanks used to house AdBlue, which is a common solution that mixes with a diesel car’s exhaust to neutralize harmful pollutants. That action means that the vehicle manufacturers had the technology to make cleaner cars but agreed not to compete on the issue, according to what the authorities argued.

Such issues affect the financial position of companies. Interestingly, the settlement agreement will probably not leave a huge dent on either Volkswagen’s or BMW’s bottom line. The reason is that VW made almost $14 billion, and BMW raked in just over $6 billion in before-tax profit in 2020. Still, the settlement is another blow to the German automakers’ image. Remember that these car manufacturers dominate the high-end car market.

It is a fact that German car manufacturers have lost some ground in the market. That is the case, especially after Volkswagen admitted that most of its cars had software to dupe official emissions testers in 2015 during the Dieselgate scandal. Additionally, BMW and Daimler were involved after the EU accused them of illegally agreeing with VW on specifications for emissions treatment technology in 2017.

Was the emissions plot illegal or unethical?

The aspect of agreeing to deploy illegal technology was not part of the European Commission’s accusation against BMW and Volkswagen. On the contrary, the commission said that the vehicle manufacturers had illegally agreed to deploy emissions technology that met minimum legal standards. The firms did so even though this was not the most environmentally friendly option available. 

Since the automakers avoided competing on using the right technology, the accusation against them was how legitimate technical cooperation went wrong. The technology in question reduces harmful emissions by cleaning better than what the law demands. So, the bottom line here is that the emissions plot was unethical and not illegal.

RELATED: Dieselgate 2: Volkswagen and BMW Fined in Another Emissions Scandal

The post VW and BMW Fined Almost $1 Billion for Colluding in Emissions Plot appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Ford is forever going to be synonymous with the automotive industry. Although Henry Ford didn’t invent the car, he is responsible for it as a semi-common household item by the mid-1920s. However, most of us don’t know is, Ford Motor Company was also growing tomatoes, juicing them, and bottling that juice, and selling it during the 1930s. 

Did you know that Ford made tomato juice? 

Ford is known for making and revolutionizing so many things across the spectrum of the automotive industry. The Model T wasn’t the first car but it might as well have been. The Model T dropped in 1908 and completely flipped the industry on its head. Even still, Henry Ford’s assembly line would come to be the old tycoon’s legacy. However, maybe Ford should be known for some other stuff, too. Like growing tomatoes, for instance. 

That’s right. Henry Ford grew up a farmer, raised by farmers, who loved farming. Although Ford’s interest in machinery would eventually trump his love of farming, his green thumb never really went away. 

The Ford tomato juice bottle reads;

Ford

TOMATO JUICE

Rich in Vitamins A,B,C

Made from SELECTED TOMATOES

Grown on the

FORD FARMS Dearborn, Michigan

_________

Also good in Tomato Cocktail, Cream of Tomato

Soup, Meat Dressing, etc.

NET CONTENTS :: :: :: :: 16 OZS.

Ford Motor Company

Dearborn, Michigan

How did Herny Ford start growing tomatoes? 

According to Silodrome, Ford got into the juice business because the company owned thousands of acres that bellied up to the Dearborn, Michigan plant. Since that interest in farming never went away, Henry Ford began farming this connected acreage. 

At some point during the 1930s, he even began offering parcels of land to employees for free. They couldn’t own the land but he would allow them to farm it and keep whatever profits they made from their toils. 

“We cultivate several thousand acres at Dearborn; we also have a dairy herd of around three thousand cows; and near our coal mines in Kentucky, on mountain soil that was not supposed to be good for much of anything, we are growing garden vegetables and fruit.” 

“Most of my own life has been spent on a farm. We are in touch with farming nearly everywhere through the sales of automobiles and tractors.” – Henry Ford, originally published in The Canadian Countryman, circa 1926 (via Silodrome)

How much is a bottle of Henry Ford’s Tomato juice worth? 

There really isn’t much information left these days about Ford’s farming ventures. While we know Ford did more than just grow tomatoes, this is one of the only examples we have of a Ford branded product from this marketplace. 

This particular bottle of tomato juice is quite rare as it is the only known example of a Ford juice product that still has the product inside. All others that have been found are empty. 

Because car collectors can be a bit obsessive, this bottle of 90-year-old tomato juice is going to auction with Sotheby’s in early September. You can check out the actual item listing here. Sotheby’s has estimated that this old bottle of Ford tomato juice will likely go for between $150-$300. While that may not be an enormous amount of money for a Sotheby’s auction, $300 is an awful lot for some old juice.

RELATED: Throwback Thursday: Ford Model T

The post Why Did Ford Bottle Its Own Tomato Juice In the 1930s? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.