Dieselgate: Europe approves Volkswagen fixes
German car-maker to start recalling affected diesel models within weeks in EUEmbattled German car company Volkswagen will start recalling affected Dieselgate four-cylinder cars within weeks after the German transport department approved the proposed emissions-cheating fixes.
The KBA approved the emergency upgrade measures for 8.5 million four-cylinder diesel engines, ranging across 1.2-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre capacities, this week.
Under European Union protocols, the KBA’s approval automatically extends across the 28 member countries, so the fix will apply to all European states, plus Switzerland.
Two of the engine families involved simple software fixes, though the 1.6-litre engine demanded more work, including the installation of an air-flow smoothing mesh in the intake system, placed right in front of the mass airflow sensor.
The software reflash for the 1.2- and 2.0-litre Dieselgate cars is expected to take around half an hour, while the upgrades to make the 1.6-litre cars legal will take around an hour, Volkswagen said.
"After the measures have been implemented, the vehicles will fulfil the duly applicable emissions standards, with the aim of achieving this without any impairment of engine output, fuel consumption or performance," the company said in a statement.
The engines are at the core of the Dieselgate scandal that has slashed Volkswagen’s share value and dented consumer confidence.
Discovered nearly two years ago by the University of West Virginia, the engines employed a software code that told the cars not to employ the strictest NOx emissions in real-world driving conditions. The result was NOx emissions up to 35 times higher than the allowable US standard of 31 micrograms per kilometre.
The European fixes for the affected engines do not apply to the US market, however, because the EU standards are easier to meet, with a limit of 80 micrograms/km of NOx emissions.
The company is still negotiating with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Review Board on fixes for the half-million affected cars it has in that country. The US has still to levy its fine on Volkswagen, which could theoretically be as high as $US37 billion, but is likely to be far less.
The scandal engulfed Volkswagen Group models from Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen and the bottom end of the Audi range.
Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda are expected to begin fixing affected Australian vehicles from February next year.
Follow the full VW Dieselgate saga from start to finish
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