Volkswagen will have to recall hundreds of thousands of cars in India for cheating emissions standards, adding to Volkswagen’s worldwide woes that the automaker illegally sold with “defeat devices” designed to cheat emissions tests, Reuters reported.
More than 323,000 Audi-, Volkswagen- and Skoda-branded cars with the automaker’s EA 189 diesel engine will need to be fixed after authorities discovered in November that those cars were illegally polluting. The revelations follow similar charges made by U.S. authorities two months ago that Volkswagen and Audi cars were polluting up to 25 times more nitrogen oxide than allowed by law.
Volkswagen officials in India said cars would be recalled immediately.
Indian authorities said they would retest diesel cars from other automakers to see how widespread cheating may be in that country.
India’s pollution standards are further behind European standards, which is gripping parts of that country in some of the worst smog and air quality problems in the world.
According to the automaker, nearly 200,000 of the affected cars are Volkswagen models, 90,000 are Skoda models and 36,500 are Audi models with 1.2-, 1.5-, 1.6- and 2-liter versions of the EA 189 engine.
Volkswagen didn’t say whether the cars in India were part of the initial 11 million estimate they announced two months ago. The company has set aside more than $8 billion to fix its illegally polluting cars.
(Image courtesy Volkswagen India)
Given the horrible quality of the air in India, I find it difficult to believe that they even HAVE air-quality standards. (Or, if they do, they are so vague that any automaker could be said to be violating them, depending on the fickle whims of the Indian government.)
I had the same thought. The Indian government just wants some easy money.
Hell-looo!
Hellooooo!
La la laaaa.
Easy money!
Lol what? You can’t tell me a VW modern TDI is creating more environmental damage than all the tuk-tuks and 1980 design Suzuki Maruti Samurais driving around. I feel like this should be low on the priority list for India.
Maybe get the country into running water and deal with your trash in rivers issues first.
Depends on the type of environmental damage.
Particulates? The tuk-tuk is probably quite a bit worse.
NOx (which helps form smog under the right conditions)? The rule-breaking TDI is almost certainly worse, probably several times worse.
India has a wide variety of environmental problems. Sanitation is a huge one, but air pollution is also a major one.
That’s a good point. India is right at the top of the list of places I’d never want to go.
My sister might be there next year. If she is, I’ll go visit her. It’s an excuse to go visit a country that I would never go to otherwise. The only caveat is that I won’t go anywhere that I was ever deployed while in the US Army.
I went for the first time in 2013. Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Mumbai.
The air quality was by far the worst experience of the trip. From wheels down to wheels up, every breath burned a little and my boogers turned black.
The country and culture were fascinating. I would definitely consider going back if the air were cleaner.
If they cheated, they cheated. Buy a Clean Diesel™ and you should get a clean diesel. It doesn’t matter where you’re at.
Who’s next? Mexico??
They still make the MkIV Jetta in Mexico, with the old 1.9 TDI, until 2013. I doubt they care.
It would be easier if VW and Audi published a list of places where there cars weren’t recalled and are totally compliant.
It would be a short list….
I’ve been to India twice and would be shocked if even non-conforming VAG vehicles, subject to this recall, don’t actually clean the air in India.
Lmfao!
Obama says ISIS is not a threat. Climate change is a threat. Bomb Wolfsburg instead.
He’s probably right as it takes a threat, to know a threat.
You guys make excellent funnies!
Personally, I’ve epiphanied to realizing that air pollution is the greatest tool for a Better Tomorrow that we in the West have. Volkswagen deserves a Darwin’s Helper Award for contributing to it in roach nests like India and, hopefully, China.
But jeez, Heinies, not here at home, OK?
I’d agree with this. Over half the cars on the roads there are diesel, and a large number are of the age that belch plumes of black smoke with any movement of the throttle. Then there are the trucks and buses, which all do the same.
On the other hand, if they are cheating standards for new vehicles, this is an issue. What will be interesting is the results from all the other manufacturers selling diesel cars to a price in India. In the years to come, we may look back and thank VW for cleaning up diesel emmissions worldwide as a result of this scandal.