Volkswagen’s emission scandal which breaks out just a few days ago has dented its reputation in a massive way. Not only company has lost the faith of its buyers across the globe but also lost over $20 billion in the market since the scam came out. Volkswagen group is accused of installing a ‘defeat device’ which shows low amount of emissions while testing. The cheated software is claimed to be installed in VW Beetle, Jetta and Golf (not in India) manufactured from 2009 to 2015.
Volkswagen has already admitted that around 11 million vehicles across the globe could be affected and the German car maker has announced the recall of such vehicles. Though company also claims that the affected vehicles are safe to drive and technically compliant. Volkswagen group comprises of Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT and Skoda.
Audi also stated that its 2.1 million of its vehicles are also being the victim of VW’s emission scandal. Audi A1, A3, A5, A6, TT, Q3 and Q5 are affected by the dieselgate scam and it is still unclear how many are affected in India. Around 1.2 million of those vehicles exist in Western Europe, 5.77 lakhs in Germany while rest 13,000 resides in USA. In addition, Skoda has also revealed that 1.2 million of its cars across the globe are affected by the scandal.
However, the ‘cheat device’ is known to have affected only the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine and it is unclear if the smaller capacity Indian power trains are using any such illegal software. To deal with the scandal, the car manufacture has allocated around £7 Billion to cover the costs, including fines and legal action which will be faced by the company in the future, though the exact amount of fine hasn’t been decided yet. However, according to reports the dieselgate scam could cost Volkswagen up to £78 billion.
Things might become even worse for the carmaker as EPA (Environmental protection agency) in USA have announced that they have now taken their investigation on the 3.0-liter turbo diesel used in North America region by VW, Audi and Porsche to see whether those cars have the same manipulative device for cheating during emission testing.
According to the EPA, the cars under investigation emits up to 40 times more than the standard permissible pollution limit for nitrogen oxide (NOx) which causes lung illnesses and asthma. VW scam could have also its effect on Indian market and respective authorities are keeping their eye on the development. VW India is also geared up if for a recall.
Volkswagen has launched a microsite which now allows customers to check if their vehicle is affected by dieselgate scam and needs to be checked. One can check it by entering VIN number on the microsite, the number is written on windscreen of the vehicle or the service booklet.
Click here to check if your car is affected or not
