VW brand’s profit off 36% amid scandal

Volkswagen AG’s reeling namesake passenger-car brand saw profit drop 36 percent in the first half as the carmaker set aside more money for litigation over its emissionscheating scandal. Operating profit at the VW brand fell to 900 million euros ($998 million) from 1.4 billion euros last year, Europe’s biggest automaker said in a statement. Volkswagen set aside another 2.2 billion euros in provisions in the second quarter, most of which was linked to the scandal, increasing the estimated cost to 18 billion euros.