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Winterkorn not under official investigation in Germany

Prosecutors for the state of Lower Saxony in Braunschweig, Germany, are now saying that former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is no longer specifically under investigation for his role in alleged fraud related to the automaker's diesel emissions scandal. The lawyers are clarifying that there's no formal inquiry into the exec because there's not yet enough evidence to establish a suspicion of wrongdoing, Bloomberg reports. However, they are still looking into VW's actions. Earlier this week, the prosecutors announced they had begun an initial investigation into Winterkorn for alleged fraud in the emissions regulation evasion. At that time, there were reportedly 12 complaints asking the lawyers to look into the case, including one from VW. Under German law, only a person could be charged for the potential crimes, rather than a whole company. "An initial suspicion must be based on facts, and you must begin an investigation before you can establish the facts," Christoph Schalast, a professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance, said to Bloomberg. Meanwhile in the US, the investigation continues into VW. The Department of Justice has the support from at least two senators to pursue criminal and civil charges against the company. The attorneys general in at least 29 states are also looking into things. Meanwhile, lawyers are building a class-action lawsuit, as well. To help in its defense, the automaker is employing the help of the same firm that defended BP during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Related Video:

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Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

It was just nine months ago that Strategic Vision announced its 2011 Total Value Awards, but you don't have to wait until next year for the 2012 awards. The Volkswagen Group keeps its lead as the number one brand, with seven products taking top category spots: Golf, Jetta Wagon, CC, Eos and Audi A3 Wagon, Q5 and Q7. Strategic Vision says "true innovation" - "rich and impactful, intuitive, motivational, in-depth and is able to trigger description by the user in great specificity" - is the open secret of the brands with the strongest showings. Results are culled from 77,153 owners covering more than 350 new cars bought between September of 2011 and 2012 ranked in the Total Value Index (TVI).
Other notable winners are Hyundai-Kia following VW in the brand category and having the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Sorento among category winners, the BMW Z4 taking the premium roadster category and the highest overall score of any vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt continuing to gather silverware in the Special Category, nabbing the second-highest score of all and representative of "nearly perfect innovation," and Chrysler and Dodge being most improved.
Check out the press release below for your day's dose of jargon and all the winners.