This basically means a total of approximately 8.5 million vehicles in the European Union, out of which 2.4 million have been sold on its local market.
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The watchdog said VW must share technical details of its engine emission fix with authorities by mid-November, and the recall will begin in January, according to a Bloomberg report.
The carmaker said it would actively approach and inform customers, and every VW customer can use the company’s website to check if their vehicles were affected via the car’s number. All of the vehicles affected remain technically safe and roadworthy. The owner of the VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat vehicle brands accounted for 23.3% of the region’s auto sales last month, down from 23.7% a year earlier and the company’s weakest showing since March. The decision comes amid a growing emissions scandal that has affected 8.5 million cars throughout Europe.
The German regulator, Federal Motor Transport Authority, ordered the recall and said that it would keep an eye on the massive recall across the country and ensure that it is carried out.
Apart from Germany, more than one million would be recalled in Britain, almost a million in France and around 117 000 vehicles in Portugal. Other European countries are already talking about following Germany down the compulsory recall path, which is seen as whipping Volkswagen for treating them like fools as much as it is helping Volkswagen diesel owners or bringing the cars into line for NOx limits.
A few analysts have said the scandal could cost Volkswagen as much as €35 billion ($40 billion) to cover vehicle refits, regulatory fines and lawsuits.
During seven years of self-confessed cheating, Volkswagen altered its illegal software for four engine types, said the sources, who include a VW manager with knowledge of the matter and a USA official close to an investigation into the company. Volkswagen has estimated that it may have to fix as many as 11 million vehicles worldwide.
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Horn added VW was withdrawing its application for regulatory certification of 2016 diesel models because it contained another software feature that had not been disclosed as required by the authorities. Additionally, the scandal has also wiped out a third of the company’s market value, making it the worst crisis in the automaker’s 78-year history.
