Trial Illuminates Porsches’ Rise to Power at Volkswagen

The Porsche family went on to become Volkswagen’s majority shareholders. Prosecutors say the maneuver was part of a carefully planned takeover of Volkswagen that was even given an internal code name, “Project Bavaria.” Two former top managers of the Porsche family holding company, as part of one of the more spectacular financial maneuvers of the last decade, are accused of manipulating Volkswagen’s share price in 2008, according to evidence presented in the trial. On paper, at least, Volkswagen briefly became the most valuable company in the world.