VW Emissions Cheating Scandal Spreads to Sports Cars

The EPA recently announced that these models use the same “defeat device” software previously found on 482,000 diesel cars in the USA equipped with a different, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

This was the first time that petrol cars were drawn into the emissions scandal, which has been rocking the carmaker since the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed in early September that thousands of VW diesel cars sold in the U.S. were fitted with a special device on their engines, which could detect when the cars were undergoing emission tests and reduce their pollution levels. The production and sales of the 2014-2016 diesels Cayenne SUV has also ceased. The EPA tested these vehicles and found that they pollute up to nine times more than what is allowed.

Germany will retest all current Volkswagen Group models sold in the country to gauge their actual emissions levels after this week’s revelation by the automaker that a few 800,000 gas and diesel cars may exceed advertised levels of CO2, Reuters reports. It’s unclear which models are among the 800,000 that emit too much carbon dioxide, but they’re mostly diesels.

In talks with the authorities – whom Volkswagen did not identify – the company said it hoped to come up with a “reliable assessment of the legal, and the subsequent economic consequences, of this not yet fully explained issue”.

Automotive engineer John German works for the worldwide Council on Clean Transportation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to reducing vehicle emissions and is credited with helping to uncover the VW emissions scandal. The German automaker believes that these irregularities may lead to costs of 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion). Volkswagen also promised that they “will do everything in its power to clarify the further course of action as quickly as possible and ensure the correct Carbon dioxide classification for the vehicles affected”.

In an emailed statement, Bernd Osterloh said the company broke rules requiring it to consult with the works council before taking any such step.

VW said the issue mainly affected diesel cars.

This news comes after the five companies under Volkswagen’s umbrella that are involved in the sale of its V6 diesel engines in the United States received notification from the EPA alleging that their 3.0 liter V6 engines also contain defeat devices that circumvent EPA emissions testing.