Early last month, ARAI found substantial discrepancies between on-road and laboratory emission levels on some Volkswagen group diesel cars and issued a notice seeking technical explanation from the German carmaker. “Further action, if at all, will be taken by the ministry of road transport and highways”.
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The company also announced one of the largest voluntary recalls of diesel passenger vehicles. ARAI is a collaborative association between the automotive industry and the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises.
Crisis-hit German auto major Volkswagen today said its recall of 3.24 lakh vehicles in India would begin in the first quarter of 2016, even as it contested the government’s charge of committing a “well thought-out crime” by cheating on emission tests.
“The Volkswagen Group India will first present the technical released solution to the ministry of heavy industries and ARAI. All technical measures will be implemented as soon as they are available”. In the 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre engines, a “flow transformer” will be fitted in front of the air mass sensor.
As per the records of Volkswagen Group India, from 2008 to November-end, approximately 198,500 cars from Volkswagen, 88,700 cars from Skoda and 36,500 cars from Audi sold in India were equipped with the EA 189 engine series. The company expects the eventual cost to update all 85,000 vehicles to be approximately $53 million, and it’s expected to involve only software, as opposed to hardware and software solutions that are now being contemplated by VW for its 2.0-liter diesel engines. “The measure for the 1.2-litre engines will be announced shortly”, the company said.
VW said its sharp decline was caused in part by its decision to stop selling all diesel cars that do not comply with federal emission standards.
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“Volkswagen has been hit with the double whammy of the emissions scandal and the fact they are relying on cars that nobody really wants”, said Alec Gutierrez, an analyst with the auto-research firm Kelley Blue Book. It added that the company will initiate a recall plan after approval from the authorities. “All brands of Volkswagen Group in India will work strongly towards regaining the customer confidence and trust”. The revelations have sparked investigations in several countries and the company is facing potentially tens of billions of dollars in fines and compensation to vehicle owners.
