VW Exec Apologizes to Lawmakers

German prosecutors have carried out searches as part of their investigation into the Volkswagen emissions scandal, seeking material that would help clarify who was responsible for the cheating. Volkswagen will evaluate the impact of its emissions repairs and possibly compensate customers based on its findings. “And 600,000 people worldwide have to be managed in a different way”, Horn said.

The issue concerns Volkswagen’s use of software to cheat the system by switching pollution controls on during emissions tests, but shutting them off during normal driving.

The revelations have wiped more than 40 per cent off Volkswagen’s market capitalisation.

VW has already said that it will take a one-time charge of 6.5 billion euros ($7.4 billion) in the third quarter to cover the costs of the scandal.

Though no timetable for the voluntary recall was given, the announcement follows the German head office’s plan to rectify 11 million vehicles world-wide starting in January. “There seems to be a pervasive culture of deception in this industry and it has to stop now”.

Owners of 2009 to 2015 Volkswagen diesel cars have more questions than answers about their vehicles, and many have joined lawsuits against the company.

According to a spokesperson, the investigation is now focusing on “several people” at VW, but would provide no further details. Mueller replaced Martin Winterkorn, who had been CEO since 2007 and quit the job over the scandal.

In talks with the EPA and Californian authorities, Volkswagen admitted not disclosing information about the “defeat device”, and seeks approval for new models from authorities. That fix, which would be applicable to nearly 70 percent of those vehicles, may require up to 10 hours of work per auto and might not start until next year, he said.

Meanwhile, while the USA lawmakers proved they were unsatisfied with the explanation provided, they also slammed the Environmental Protection Agency and its official called to testify after Horn for not uncovering the ploy earlier.

“In Europe too, Volkswagen effectively cheated on emissions in a systematic manner”, newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung claimed, citing its own research in collaboration with public broadcasters NDR and WDR.

Horn said that three VW employees have been suspended as part of an internal investigation, though he said he couldn’t reveal their names due to German law. He added that it remained “legally unclear if the device was forbidden under European rules”. He said he expects it to take one to two years minimum to fix all of the 500,000 affected vehicles on United States roads today, once a solution is approved, and could not outline precisely when that would occur.

“Our plan is not to buy back the inventory”, Horn said.