Volkswagen

Volkswagen, the highest-ranking automaker in this year's list, has had a turbulent year. Last September, CEO Herbert Diess and supervisory board chief Hans Dieter Pötsch were charged with alleged market manipulation over the 2015 Dieselgate scandal. In May, Volkswagen paid more than $10 million to settle the charges out of court and avoid a trial; the company also paid more than $900 million in February to settle a lawsuit by German consumers over the affair. Adding to its challenges, VW failed to get the German government to subsidize non-electric car purchases as part of its coronavirus stimulus plan. But the firm is betting big on a cleaner, smarter future. Its battery-powered, mass-market ID.3 car is set to come out later this year, and VW is investing billions in A.I., alongside partner Ford.