“Stefan Knirsch is well acquainted with the Volkswagen Group and Audi ’s technical development” said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler late last year when Knirsch was chosen to become a board member in charge of Audi’s R&D, and to replace the ousted engineering legend Ulrich Hackenberg. Nine months later, Knirsch has been sacked because he knew too much, namely about the methods Audi used to get around stringent U.S. emission regulations. Volkswagen AG’s dieselgate minefield claimed a new casualty. This time, it looks like organized labor triggered the explosion.
