Volkswagen emissions scandal deepens as vehicle manufacturer admits it involves

The continuing saga of the emissions scam affecting Audi, Porsche and Volkswagen has again expanded with the announcement of the problem affecting 85,000 vehicles with 3.0-liter diesel V6 engines dating to 2009.

During the meeting, the automaker admitted that all Volkswagen and Audi vehicles with 3.0-liter engines from model years 2009 to 2016 were equipped with the auxiliary equipment and that it failed to disclose this information to the USA government as required.

As a result of this admission, EPA and ARB will continue to investigate and take whatever action is necessary and appropriate under the enforcement authority that they have.

More than 482,000 VW cars were sold in the United States with diesel motors.

Since their initial scandal regarding gas emissions, Volkswagen has been facing a lot of trouble regarding their diesel cars, and the company may even have to recall a number of their cars. This widened the VW scandal, which had previously focused mainly on smaller-engined mass-market cars. Also covered are 2014-16 models of the A6, A7, A8, and Q5, according to the EPA.

The allegation involving six-cylinder diesels means that more Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche owners could face recalls of their cars to fix the software, and VW could face steeper fines and more intense scrutiny from USA regulators and lawmakers.

“What we definitely won’t do is make cuts at the expense of our future”, said Mueller.

The meeting between company engineers and technical experts at EPA and CARB was a technical discussion “to talk through the violations so that both sides understand the data and the systems and the software”, Ward said.

He said construction of a planned new design centre in VW’s home town of Wolfsburg was being put on hold, saving about ¤100m, while the construction of a paint shop in Mexico was under review.

VW’s preference shares, down about a third since the crisis broke, were up 1.5 per cent to 107.40 euros at 1355 GMT.

The diesel models emit more nitrogen oxide, a gas that causes smog and can lead to respiratory effects, than is allowed by law.

Amid fears the emissions scandal could hit sales of diesel vehicles, Mr Mueller said VW would increase spending on alternative technologies such as electric and hybrid vehicles by 100 million euros next year compared with previous targets. It named two new employee representatives to the supervisory board as well, to replace departing ones.