Volkswagen to recall 11 million cars

Volkswagen AG is announcing its action plan to correct the emissions characteristics of diesel vehicles.

“In the meantime, all vehicles are technically safe and roadworthy”.

Volkswagen admitted on September 22 that diesel vehicles produced by the German carmaker, which is now the world’s largest ahead of Toyota, were equipped with a software device used to cheat diesel-emission tests.

“These vehicles from certain models and model years (such as the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf, the seventh generation Volkswagen Passat or the first generation Volkswagen Tiguan) are fitted with Type EA 189 diesel engines”, said Volkswagen, outlining a few of the vehicles that will need the procedure.

Roughly five million of the vehicles involved in the recall wear a Volkswagen badge, 2.1 million are Audis, 1.2 million vehicles come from Skoda and the remaining 1.8 million are light commercial vehicles.

The vehicles contain engines which may be fitted with software that was used to con emissions testers in the US.

VW said this equates to 3% of new vehicle stock.

According to a statement issued by the company, customers of the affected vehicles will be informed in weeks and months and the emissions characteristics will be corrected.

Vahland will oversee operations in the USA, Canada and Mexico that are now separate, and he’ll have a seat on the VW brand’s management board.

In Brussels, European Union Industry Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska met Tuesday with Volkswagen brand chief Herbert Diess.

He said the fix may concern software but also mechanical adjustments.

He said he would explain to European Union authorities what his company is doing to fix its engines and plan “a way forward”.

Volkswagen will also build websites in the countries where it sold the affected cars to provide drivers with information on the recalls, which could end up costing the carmaker more than $6.5 billion.

“Both participants agreed that restoring confidence in the European vehicle industry is of upmost importance”, said the representative, who was not authorized to make public statements and spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity.