In testimony released ahead of his hearing before a Congressional committee, Michael Horn offered a “sincere apology” over Volkswagen’s use of a software created to cheat pollution tests.
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That is exactly what the Federal and California regulators are investigating after Michael Horn, the head of VW’s U.S. operations disclosed that the company had withdrawn its 2016 models of its diesel vehicle from environmental certification because of a computer software. The software turns on devices that clean diesel exhaust only when cars undergo testing. Volkswagen will evaluate the impact of its emissions repairs and possibly compensate customers based on its findings. On the road, the cars spewed up to 40 times the legally allowed amount of nitrogen oxide.
Meanwhile, while the U.S. lawmakers proved they were unsatisfied with the explanation provided, they also slammed the Environmental Protection Agency and its official called to testify after Horn for not uncovering the ploy earlier.
Once Volkswagen initiates recalls, it could take one to two years to fix all of the roughly 500,000 affected vehicles in the US, Horn said.
Separately, VW Korea President Thomas Kuehl was also due to be grilled in the South Korean parliament Thursday afternoon, according to state broadcaster KBS.
Volkswagen has acknowledged that about 11 million diesel cars worldwide – including 482,000 in the USA – were rigged with the so-called defeat device.
Volkswagen’s top US executive apologized Thursday as the emissions-rigging scandal at the world’s largest automaker deepened and members of Congress said the company violated the public’s trust.
The company’s new chief executive Matthias Mueller said earlier this week that VW, which has already set aside €6.5bn to cover the costs of the scandal, was reviewing all its investment plans. He also added the use of the software was by decisions of individuals who worked at the company but not a corporate strategy.
However, the number of engineers responsible for the scandal remained unclear.
The vehicles in question were from the model years 2009 to 2015.
The defeat device is a line of software code hidden within the cars’ systems that recognised when it was being tested. Horn testified under oath before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
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EPA spokesman, Nick Conger said, “VW did very recently provide EPA with very preliminary information on an auxiliary emissions control device that VW said was included in one or more model years”.
