VW US CEO: No knowledge of defeat devices in 2014

“The necessary measures will be undertaken at no cost to them (the customers)”, Volkswagen Group Australia’s managing director John White said.

Mr Horn, who insisted the vehicles are safe to drive, said compliance processes and standards within VW will be examined so this can not happen again.

Volkswagen shares plunged Monday after US regulators accused the German automaker of cheating on emissions tests, alleging that almost 500,000 cars weren’t meeting federal standards.

Volkswagen’s top US executive offered apology for emission cheating scandal in front of USA lawmakers on Thursday but no remedy schedule was announced.

Horn told the committee he knew more than a year ago that the cars possibly violated pollution rules, but, he said he did not know until September about the “defeat device” that allowed the vehicles to appear to be less polluting. On Thursday, the company confirmed that it will not sell 2016 diesel cars in the U.S.

Horn said Volkswagen will “take full responsibility” for this illegal action and is “working with all relevant authorities in a cooperative way”.

Horn testified under oath before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

“Questions remain about the impact of VW’s actions on the UK’s air quality and the Government’s policy on cleaner transport”.

The raids were carried out in Wolfsburg and at a number of other locations. It wasn’t immediately clear when VW would re-file its application. The EPA and California Air Resources Board are investigating “the nature and purpose” of the device, she said.

The raid came as Michael Horn, head of Volkswagen in the US, prepares to field questions over the scandal before lawmakers on Capitol Hill. “It’s definitely a stain on the brand’s image”, he said.

The Volkswagen Group of America chief said the vast majority of the roughly 482,000 diesel passenger cars covered by the allegations could not be fixed until at least 2017 because the solution requires the installation of new equipment.

Horn said in 2014 he was also told that the EPA could test for the presence of a “defeat device”, the software Volkswagen used to have its cars emit fewer pollutants during emissions testing than when they are on the road.

Jack Fitzgerald/Volkswagen Dealer: “Even your oldest, loyal customers are going to worry about if i can trust them anymore”.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has stressed the importance of protecting United Kingdom consumer interests in the wake of the admission by VW on its use of defeat devices.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, asked Horn if he really believed that senior level corporate managers had no knowledge of the software, which was first installed on cars for the 2009 model year.