“I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public”, Martin Winterkorn said in a statement published by the carmaker.
The EPA has ordered that VW recalls the cars to modify them, with the company bearing the cost of the work. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a notice to Volkswagen that it broke the law by using software to circumvent emissions testing. The models include the VW Jetta, the Beetle and the Golf from model years 2009 through 2015, the Passat from 2014-2015 as well as the Audi A3, model years 2009-2015.
VW, which owns Audi, faces billions of dollars in fines, although exact amounts were not determined. USA buyers want SUVs, and Volkswagen doesn’t have competitive vehicles to offer them.
This time, it’s due to outright dishonesty on the part of Volkswagen, a leader in us passenger vehicle diesel sales.
Winterkorn stopped short of admitting to the EPA’s allegations.
Some VW customers were furious.
Analysts speculated that there are only two advantages to such a device: VW may have wanted to get higher fuel economy for the cars or avoid more expensive emissions controls like those on larger diesel VWs built during the timeframe.
“We do not and will not tolerate violations of any kind of our internal rules or of the law”, he added.
“We were astounded when we saw the numbers”, said John German, the U.S.co-lead of the worldwide Council on Clean Transportation.
But as the regulators pressed their inquiry, the EPA said, “none of the potential technical issues suggested by VW explained” the disparities.
The cars are not facing recall at this time, the EPA said. The violations do not present a safety hazard and the cars remain legal to drive and sell, the EPA said.
“The charges here are truly appalling: that Volkswagen knowingly installed software that produced much higher smog-forming emissions from diesel vehicles in the real world than in pre-sale tests”, said Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, a Washington-based advocacy group. A spokes for the Department for Transport said: “We are now pursuing action at an European Union level to ensure all vehicle emissions are robustly tested and we are one of the nations pushing hardest to bring forward a more accurate driving emissions test so vehicles cut their emissions not just in the lab but also on the road”. No details were available Sunday about how the firm’s external investigation would be conducted. The carmaker could face penalties of $37,500 for each vehicle not in compliance with clean air rules.