VW Admits 800000 Diesel and Gas Vehicles Miss Carbon dioxide Standards

The decision came after regulators accused VW of even cheating emissions on its 3.0-liter engines.

The new sales freeze covers diesel VW Touaregs, Audi A6, A7 and A8s, and Q5 and Q7s, all from the 2014-2016 model years. In a statement released following the notice, Volkswagen still maintains the V6 diesels do not contain defeat devices, however VW, Porsche, and Audi have issued a stop-sale on these vehicles in North America, as well as 2013 to 2015 models of the Q7.

The latest revelations add a new dimension to a crisis that previously focused on the carmaker’s attempts to cheat on smog-causing nitrogen oxide emissions by installing deceptive software in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. The vehicles allegedly emit up to nine times the legally allowable levels of nitrogen-oxide which Volkswagen consequently denied to be true. New registrations for Audi, one of Volkswagen Group’s high-end passenger auto brands, also lost about 900 units to 2,482.

“VW say they are meeting with the EPA to explain the device in the coming weeks, although the EPA said on Monday that “…an AECD created to circumvent emissions test is a defeat device”.

VW put the number of vehicles affected so far at 800,000 – including 98,000 petrol-driven cars – but the final figure could turn out much higher.

September 29: Volkswagen says it has commissioned an external investigation by US law firm Jones Day. In its third-quarter earnings, Volkswagen has recorded $7.4 billion as a cost to pay for fixing its vehicles.

October 2: Volkswagen starts offering customers online checks to see if their cars are affected.

The new affair could also have serious financial consequences for VW, already facing tens of billions of euros in potential fines and lawsuits from the diesel engine manipulation scam. Volkswagen’s ordinary shares have tumbled 23 percent since the scandal was revealed, and the total market value of the company has fallen by 24.2 billion euros – the equivalent of $26.3 billion at current exchange rates – to 52.75 billion euros, a drop of 31 percent.

The widening scandal also prompted Moody’s Investors Service to cut the rating on the Volkswagen’s debt, which could make borrowing money more expensive for the company.VW CEO Matthias Mueller has promised the company will “relentlessly and completely clarify the matter”.