Volkswagen reveals emissions fix for diesel cars in Europe

On Friday, the carmaker conceded that US regulators considered one feature of the engine-control software to be illegal.

The other part of the process involves installing a “flow transformer”, which is a plastic grate that’s meant to help even the air flow going into the mass flow sensor.

That fix will allow the VW brands to resume selling new models with the 3.0 liter diesel engine in the U.S. It may also be enough to fix the older engines.

VW Australia announced on October 9 that it would recall more than 77,000 Volkswagen and Skoda cars fitted with the EA189 engines despite not having a solution to the problem at the time. “It is crucial that whatever action VW takes to fix these cars also protects the consumer”.

Models equipped with 2.0-liter TDI engines will only require a minor software update. In addition to upgraded software, the cars will need “relatively simple changes” to the air-filter system, according to the CEO. The company’s smaller, 2.0-liter engines, which originally sparked the massive scandal back in September, are not affected by Audi’s announcement yet.

Audi admitted that so-called defeat devices are present in the United States versions of its V6 TDI 3-liter diesel powertrains and promised to update software to bring the engines into compliance. That matters because Carbon dioxide is a key measure for setting tax rates for motor vehicles in many European countries. Regulators at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board are now reviewing that plan before it is publicly revealed.

“It will take several months before there are conclusive findings”, he said, according to excerpts of his speech seen by various news organizations.

“German prosecutors like these kinds of investigations, ” said Michael Kubiciel, a criminal law professor at the University of Cologne.

From there, Volkswagens hope to rectify all EA189 engines over the course of 2016, with recalls in some markets beginning in January.

The company doesn’t yet know how they must be fixed, but the solution could be more intricate and therefore more expensive than the repairs to similar cars in Europe because of stricter USA emissions standards. Volkswagen uses the engine in the Toureg and Porsche and has used it in the Cayenne since model year 2013.