All Diesel Vehicles to Be Checked For Emissions: Minister

On Volkswagen, Geete said the ARAI had found that the carmaker violated emission norms in India to the extent of eight to nine times the current approved levels.

In an interaction with CNBC-TV18, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete said it would now be up to the Road Ministry to decide whether to ban the sales of Volkswagen diesel vehicles in the interim.

In September, Honda Cars India (HCIL) announced a recall of about 224,000 cars of previous generation CR-V, Civic, City and Jazz models to replace airbag inflators.

Of the four engines from the EA 189 diesel engine family, software updates will be performed on the 1.5-litre, 1.6-litre and 2-litre engines.

Volkswagen Group had recalled vehicles in India across three brands – Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen – after a government-ordered probe found the group using diesel engines equipped with a defeat device that helps cheat emission tests. Also, the Indian authorities sent to Volkswagen a notice last month, after an investigation made by the Automotive Research Association of India revealed discrepancies between on-road tests and those unrealistically official figures.

The company also announced one of the largest voluntary recalls of diesel passenger vehicles.

“Volkswagen Group India has intimated why it believes that its cars are not equipped with a “defeat device”, the company said in a statement.

The company had to respond to the notice issued by the ARAI by the end of November. Therefore, the German automaker has to plan a recall to bring the affected cars’ emissions into the limits of the law, Ambuj Sharma, additional secretary in the Ministry of Heavy Industries, said.

The existing software does not affect the handling, technical safety or the roadworthiness of the vehicle, it clarified. “But diesel auto manufacturers would not be bothered about it as vehicles are tested and certified by ARAI before being sold in the market”, said Pravin Shah, president and chief executive (automotive) at M&M. “All necessary technical measures will be implemented in the vehicles at no cost to the customers”, the statement said. Volkswagen’s November U.S. sales crashed 25% from the previous year, as the company struggles to fix its tarnished reputation and brand image. “The first solutions are expected to be implemented from the first quarter of 2016 and will be continued in a step-wise manner”, it said.