Volkswagen Diesel Scandal

Volkswagen in 2015 admitted using illegal software to rig diesel engine tests in the United States, sparking Germany's biggest corporate crisis

The former chief executive officer and other managers were charged last year with equipping vehicles sold to customers with a so-called defeat device

The European Court of Justice was asked to weigh in on the matter by a state court in Klagenfurt, Austria, which is considering an Austrian consumer protection group's claim for damages

Volkswagen said the raids were linked to an investigation into diesel cars with engine type EA 288, a successor model to the EA 189 which was at the heart of the test cheating scandal

The Braunschweig prosecutors said the accused should have kept investors informed

A 5.5 percent rise in vehicle sales helped lift second-quarter operating profit

"You have to ask if this is a bottomless pit," said one Frankfurt-based trader.