Volkswagen says it will recall around eight-and-a-half million diesel-engine vehicles in the European Union after the German government forced its hand.
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“We are going to issue the order”, the spokesman for the KBA or Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt said, adding that “2.4 million vehicles are concerned” and that the authority would monitor the recall. Since then the deception has been shown to be far broader, affecting about 11 million cars worldwide. Apart from the company’s VW brand, Audi, SEAT and Skoda cars can also be checked.
Speaking to the press, Germany’s transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated, “The Federal Motor Transport Authority is of the opinion that the software constitutes an unauthorized defeat device”.
Volkswagen’s managing director in Britain, Paul Willis, told a committee of British lawmakers Thursday, “I don’t think there is more to come out”, regarding whether the automaker has more messy revelations to inform the public about with its scandal.
Those hardware changes, which may not be ready before September 2016, will determine the timeline, he said.
Taking all of that into consideration, Volkswagen themselves have stated that these recalls could last until at least the end of next year giving fuel to speculation that the company cheated on other engines besides the 2.0-liter diesel. But generally manufacturers agree to recalls when asked by the EPA, spokeswoman Laura Allen said. The company has said it hopes to avoid that. The Dieselgate scandal now includes the already affected American-sold cars, the U.S. Department of Justice criminal case, and Germany’s own criminal case against Volkswagen’s executives including the former CEO Martin Winterkorn.
Volkswagen has said that a few managers had been suspended, but said the report Wednesday of up to 30 “lacks any basis”.
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Volkswagen faces possible fines after USA authorities discovered it had equipped 482,000 cars with software that disabled emissions controls except when the cars were being tested.
