2.8 million ‘manipulated’ VWs on German roads

The software in the cars’ engine-control computers checked the speed, steering wheel position, air pressure and other factors to determine when dynamometer tests were under way.

VW later acknowledged that similar software exists in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. “We expressly value his critical and constructive approach”. Would identical testing on vehicles made for the USA market produce the same results? They noted that the list of vehicles equipped with the cheating devices included the Audi A3, a luxury brand, and expressed worries over whether consumers around the world would turn away from other German automakers.

Environmentalists have long complained that carmakers game the vehicle testing regime to exaggerate the fuel-efficiency and emissions readings of their vehicles.

It will then compare the results against “real-world” driving emissions. It was this test that exposed Volkswagen’s deception.

Diesel spews out less heat-trapping carbon dioxide than gasoline, the industry argues, but without sophisticated controls, it may also emit harmful levels of poisonous nitrogen oxides and lung-clogging particles.

By now, the story of VW’s “defeat devices” is all over the media. Because this computer program was embedded in the cornerstone of their entire emissions system in these diesel vehicles.

Italy will test 1,000 cars from all the VW brands sold nationally, its transport minister said.

Dutch regulator says the engines used in Netherlands are tested in Germany by the KBA (federal transport authority), which uses European-wide emissions standards. In fact, this is the second time VW has been caught.

Mexico is checking to see if Volkswagen has complied with its emissions standards and will act if it finds anomalies, its environment minister said. What’s more, the EPA did not initially uncover the problem; researchers at West Virginia University did, using on-road testing.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said he was frustrated that regulatory agencies such as the EPA are failing to protect the public.

“It is a highly innovative and very successful industry for Germany, with lots of jobs”, a spokeswoman for the economy ministry said.

In a statement Mr Müller today said: “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation”.

He pledged to make Volkswagen an “an even stronger company“.

Experts say Mueller must ensure Volkswagen isn’t hiding anything else. The lawsuits against Volkswagen are mounting at a rapid pace.

Norway’s economic crimes unit said Friday it will investigate whether “there has been a criminal offense in Norway and whether the fraud has any significance for the cars in question that have been imported to the country”.

And if owners don’t like the modified cars, they’ll likely have to buy those cars back too. A second potential fix includes adding an entirely new tank of chemical reagent to the auto, which would have to be filled and maintained by the owner.

Following the crisis-management path taken by General Motors and News Corp., VW has tapped a US law firm to lead a thorough investigation.

The broader concern for the German government is that other vehicle makers such as Daimler and BMW could suffer fallout from the Volkswagen disaster.