Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn on Sunday apologized for breaking the trust of its customers and said the company will launch an external investigation into claims that its cars deliberately trick emissions tests in the U.S.
DETROIT, MI - Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn on Sunday apologized for breaking the trust of its customers and said the company will launch an external investigation into claims that its cars deliberately trick emissions tests in the U.S.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is alleging that some 482,000 diesel Audi and Volkswagen cars sold in the U.S. since 2008 use technology to skirt emissions standards.
On Friday the EPA issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Volkswagen Group of America, claiming that four-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars from the 2009-2015 model years circumvent EPA emissions standards.
The cars allegedly do so with software that detects when the car is undergoing emissions testing, and then turns full emissions controls on only during the test.
"The Board of Management at Volkswagen AG takes these findings very seriously," Winterkorn said in a statement, adding that the company will fully cooperate with responsible agencies. "We do not and will not tolerate violations of any kind of our internal rules or of the law.
The cars in question meet emissions standards tests in a laboratory or testing station, but in normal operation they emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times the standard, according to the EPA.
Such software is defined as a "defeat device" by the Clean Air Act, a 1963 law aimed at controlling air pollution in the U.S.
The EPA and the California Air Resources Board uncovered the defeat device software after independent analysis at West Virginia University raised questions about the cars' emissions levels.
The EPA said after demanding an explanation from Volkswagen the German automaker admitted this month that the cars contained defeat devices.
Volkswagen could face civil penalties for the violations.
Affected diesel models include:
* Jetta (Model Years 2009 - 2015)
* Beetle (Model Years 2009 - 2015)
* Audi A3 (Model Years 2009 - 2015)
* Golf (Model Years 2009 - 2015)
* Passat (Model Years 2014-2015)
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.