Cars in India not equipped with defeat device, meet norms: Volkswagen

The move follows a month after the government said it sent VW a show-cause notice after tests by the Automotive Research Association of India showed noticeable differences between on-road tests and tests done in laboratories.

As per the company’s records, from 2008 to November 2015, around 19,800 VW cars, 88,700 Skoda cars and 36,500 Audi cars have been equipped with the affected EA189 diesel engines (1.2-, 1.5-, 1.6- and 2.0-litre). All necessary technical measures will be implemented at no cost to the customers.

In the wake of Volkswagen’s voluntary recall of 3.23 lakh cars, the government on Wednesday made a decision to test all diesel vehicles to check for violations of emission norms in the country in the next six months.

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

According to the company, existing installed software does not affects the handling, technical safety or roadworthiness of the cars.

The US environmental protection authority on Tuesday said Volkswagen used devices to rig air-pollution tests in 3-litre diesel engines, found mostly in Audis and Porsches, which are the company’s biggest sources of profit.

New Zealand owners of Volkswagen vehicles are struggling to sell their cars because of the recent emissions scandal, says a lawyer representing some owners. Volkswagen has mentioned that it will continue to be highly committed to the Indian market and will not differ from its future investments, product models and future vehicles. Last week, the South Korean government fined Volkswagen’s branch over the emissions scandal and ordered a recall for all the affected cars in the country.

The automaker sold 5,462 TDI diesel vehicles in November 2014, the company’s spokeswoman told AFP.

All the customers will be informed directly by the respective brands.

Amid the fallout from Volkswagen’s emissions-testing cheating scandal, the company’s November sales in the United States fell almost 25 percent from November a year ago. “In November, Volkswagen halted sales of another 85,000 vehicles with three-liter diesel engines amid allegations they, too, contained defeat devices”.

Several countries around the world and Europe had started independent inquiries to find out whether the fudging practice also took place there.