New Delhi:German auto major Volkswagen (VW), which has been told by green tribunal to stop selling diesel vehicles fitted with “defeat device,” on Wednesday said its cars were not fitted with any such equipment.
Responding to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, asking it to give in writing that it would sell only those vehicles which comply with all emission norms as applicable, the company said its vehicles are not violating Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) emission norms in India.
“Volkswagen Group India has already intimated why it believes that its cars are not equipped with a ‘defeat device’,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Furthermore, the findings from the evaluations undertaken by Volkswagen Group India under the observation of Automotive Research Association of India show that the tested cars of the brands Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi are not violating the BS-IV norms in India, the spokesperson added. On NGT order, the company said: “Volkswagen Group India will respond to the order from NGT by the deadline given by them.” The NGT on Wednesday directed the German auto major to not to sell any diesel vehicle in India fitted with “cheat device” and give an undertaking in this regard. VW has admitted use of defeat device in 11 million diesel engine cars sold in the U.S., Europe and other global markets that allowed manipulation of emissions tests by changing the performance of the vehicles to improve results. As per latest reports, the company could face fine of up to $90 billion in the U.S. following a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. In India, the company, last month recalled 3,23,700 lakh vehicles across its three brands — Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen — after a government-ordered probe found it using diesel engines equipped with a defeat device which help cheat emission tests. The recall covers cars sold from 2008 till end of November 2015 in India. The recall will encompass cars from the Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda model range which carry the software that requires to be updated. –PTI
