Ex-Audi Boss Admits He Turned Blind Eye to Diesel-Rigged Cars

Rupert Stadler, the former head of Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand, admitted to a German court he should have stepped in when sales of rigged vehicles continued months after the diesel scandal broke.

The confession at his Munich trial on Tuesday is part of a settlement with prosecutors and the court in exchange for a suspended sentence under which Stadler agreed to pay €1.1 million ($1.2 million). His statement was read out in court by his attorney, according to a spokesman for the tribunal.

Rupert Stadler in court in Munich, Germany, on May 16.

Photographer: Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images

The scandal over rigging millions of diesel cars cost Volkswagen more than €30 billion. ...