From Carmakers to Logistics Giants, Germany's biggest companies are facing some challenges.

Hello, this is the Marketplace Morning Report and we're live from the BBC World Service.

I'm Leanna Byrne. Good morning. Volkswagen is in the headlines today and not for good reasons. First, the German carmakers' former boss Martin Wintercourt is going on trial, accused of fraud and market manipulation over the 2015 diesel

emission scandal and the BBC's Mariko I is going to remind us what that scandal

was all about. I'm Mariko.

Hello.

Mariko, just take us back and tell us what the back story is to this story.

Sure, so we're talking about the former chief executive of Volkswagen. His name is Martin Ventercon and he's

basically set to go on trial today on charges of fraud and market manipulation and

if our listeners remember this case is linked to the

automakers a diesel emission scandal if you remember back in 2015 the US

regulators announced a notice of violation saying that Europe's top carmaker had been using

software that allowed cars to emit far more than the legal limit of nitrogen

oxide which of course is a pollutant that harms people's health and he's accused of

knowing about this and deliberately failing to inform stock markets and

good time of a significant financial risk.

Now he has denied any wrongdoing and this trial has been delayed because of health issues but it's

set to start today and the court in Germany has announced about 89 90 cases and 19

sessions rather over the next year or so.

Another news headline for Volkswagen is that it's considering closing factories in Germany for the first time.

Why is that, Mariko?

Well, as you said, it's considering it.

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