Emission woes lower than expected: VW

The automaker says that real-world consumption figures will not change nor will the vehicles require any modifications. The problems started with the US imposing tougher limitations for nitrogen oxide pollutants – limitations Volkswagen “could not find a way” to meet.

While understating Carbon dioxide emissions was the smaller of the two scandals engulfing VW, some analysts had said it could have a bigger impact on sales, arguing drivers might be more anxious about fuel economy than pollution.

“We are talking here not about a one-off mistake but a chain of errors”, he said, adding: “Based on what we know today, it was a very limited group which acted irresponsibly”.

Mr Mueller’s comments show he’s trying to move to the next phase of dealing with the scandal that began with Volkswagen’s admission to rigging some 11 million diesel vehicles to pass emissions tests.

On Nov. 3, VW said it had also falsified fuel consumption and Carbon dioxide emissions in petrol cars sold mainly in Europe, and was expecting costs of at least 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) including compensation payments to customers.

VW Group CEO Matthias Mueller said: “We will not allow the crisis to paralyze us”. He said “the situation is not dramatic, but as expected it is tense”.

Shares in Volkswagen, which fell eight percent following the company’s statement in November, rose by almost five percent on Wednesday.

He suggested that the company was not considering any cuts to fulltime jobs, but that it might have to shed some temporary workers.

A culture that “tolerated” rule breaking and misconduct by employees was at the heart of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, according to the German auto maker’s chairman.

Mueller, speaking in his first television interview since the scandal broke in late September, said tips from about 100 whistle-blowers didn’t open any new fronts in the investigation. He said Volkswagen would go beyond lab tests – so far the norm in the U.S. and Europe – had proved too easy to cheat.

The carmaker said Thursday it will have future emissions tests independently evaluated.