Volkswagen to recall 323000 diesel cars in India: govt official

Earlier this month, the government issued a show-cause notice to Volkswagen after Arai found variations in on-road emission levels in diesel engine models of its Jetta, Skoda Octavia, Audi A4 and Audi A6 models.

Announcing “a voluntary recall for updating all cars with EA189 engines in the Indian market”, the company said the recall will cover cars sold from 2008 till end of November 2015 in India.

The recall includes 198,500 cars from the Volkswagen brand, 88,700 cars from Skoda and 36,500 cars from Audi.

The court’s notice came in the wake of the plea by a Delhi-based teacher who has sought a ban on the manufacture and sale of Volkswagen vehicles in India for allegedly flouting emission norms. Prior to this it had also recalled its premium cars which included 389 units of its best selling premium hatchback Polo in India.

“Volkswagen Group India has presented its observations, findings and outlines of possible solutions on the EA 189 diesel engines to the Government of India – Ministry of Heavy Industries and ARAI”. Volkswagen and the German industry have been rocked by revelations starting September 18 that the carmaker had used software to hoodwink regulators about the true emissions of its diesel cars for years.

The world’s number-two automaker faces regulatory and criminal investigations in several countries, including Germany and the United States, and potentially billions of dollars in fines.

According to an official note, the technical solution for the EA 189 1.6-litre engine will feature a so-called “flow transformer” will be installed in front of the air flow sensor which will stabilise the air flow and allow for more precise measurement of the incoming fresh air flow which, as a result, fuel can be metered more accurately to ensure most efficient combustion process.

Volkswagen will initiate a communication program to reach out to the owners of cars with EA 189 engines through the respective brands. Over 13.25 lakh vehicles have been recalled by various manufacturers in India so far.