Calling emission test cheating by Volkswagen as a “well thought-out crime”, the government on Wednesday said all diesel passenger vehicles in India will come under scanner in the next six months to check their compliance with norms.
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“Actually, we have never said that “defeat device” was found. ARAI road test found major variation in the emission level which we believed was an “indication” that they might have used defeat device”, said Ambuj Sharma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries. He added that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will decide on whether to take any punitive action against VW.
Beyond the Volkswagen-branded vehicles impacted by the software, models Audi and Skoda installed with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel in question are affected.
Volkswagen is expected to begin the recall of its diesel vehicles from March next year in phases and the process will continue till August.
On continued sales of vehicles powered by the EA189 engines, VW said: “Based on the current situation, Volkswagen Group India will continue the production and sales of the cars with EA 189 engines in India”. Volkswagen said in a statement that it would present a solution to the ministry and ARAI for approval, and carry out the recall in phases. They welcomed the heavy industry ministry’s move to revalidate diesel passenger cars for emission standards, saying that it would bolster consumer confidence. The plan would include a software update, it said. In the 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre engines, a “flow transformer” will be fitted in front of the air mass sensor.
This is the same software update that is able to delete the bit of code that would send the engine into limp mode when emission diagnostics were being run. All necessary technical measures will be implemented at no cost to the customers. Measures for the 1.2-litre engines will be announced later. Additionally, the company faces fines and lawsuits around the world.
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