Dieselgate: Audi to announce fix in April

Volkswagen Group chief Matthias Muller will announce details of the recall to fix Audi vehicles affected by the Dieselgate emissions scandal in April.

Of a global total of more than two million vehicles, just over 16,000 Audi vehicles are affected in Australia, powered by 2.0- and 1.6-litre engines.

The recall will follow the same action Volkswagen announced for its vehicles last month, with the first of more than 80,000 now being recalled in Australia, starting with the Amarok ute.

"This year's review includes a report on our situation in the diesel scandal," said Audi chairman Prof Rupert Stadler at the company's annual press conference at its Ingolstadt HQ today.

"At this point, I would like to state very clearly: we regret what happened. We will ensure full transparency. And we assure you, we will fix it.

"Immediately after the matter at Volkswagen was announced, we at Audi decided on three things: to clear up the matter fully at the entire Group. To remedy the situation for customers. And in light of out future, to ensure that honesty has the utmost priority as a business principle."

Stadler said that once Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority grants it, the recall will start first with A4 models powered by 2.0-litre EA189 diesel engines, which power 90 per cent of all Audi vehicle affected.

While they require only a software fix, the 1.6-litre TDI engine in the other 10 per cent of affected vehicles will require both software and hardware modifications, which Audi says will take less than an hour to effect.

Timing for the recall in Australia is yet to be announced, but Audi said it will "probably be busy with the recall of affected models in Europe until the end of the year".