Photo: Florin Profir
Newly elected Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Mueller said during an interview with a German newspaper that the recalls for the European diesel cars affected by the emissions cheating device will begin in the first month of 2016. He also said the company expects to solve the problems by the end of next year.
Over in the US, the situation is a little bit more complicated. The German carmaker first has to agree on a solution with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), so it's more difficult to estimate an exact time interval right now.
Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Mueller said that most of the eight million cars affected by the device in Europe are repairable via a simple software update while others might require more serious work. Of course, all this will be done without any cost to the owner.
But things might not be as simple as Mr. Mueller wants us to think. Among those "more complicated" solutions, some would require installing larger catalytic converters to make up for the extra emissions, while in some other cases the only solution might be actually replacing the whole car.
It is estimated that the cost for the company ranges from a mere $22 (about 20 euros) to as much as $11,000 (10,000 euros) for each individual car. Volkswagen also has to worry about the other three brands under its umbrella affected by the scandal: Audi, Skoda and SEAT.
“We’re working as quickly as we can to find a solution for our customers,” said Eric Felber, a spokesman for Volkswagen, declining to comment on specific options. “As soon as we can give a reliable statement to that end, we’ll do so without delay.”
It remains to be seen how this scandal will affect diesel sales overall in Europe, where they made up for the majority of new car registrations last year. But if other manufacturers fail to be proven guilty of similar tactics, it's very much likely the fallout of Dieselgate will be minimal for the whole European market.
Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Mueller said that most of the eight million cars affected by the device in Europe are repairable via a simple software update while others might require more serious work. Of course, all this will be done without any cost to the owner.
But things might not be as simple as Mr. Mueller wants us to think. Among those "more complicated" solutions, some would require installing larger catalytic converters to make up for the extra emissions, while in some other cases the only solution might be actually replacing the whole car.
It is estimated that the cost for the company ranges from a mere $22 (about 20 euros) to as much as $11,000 (10,000 euros) for each individual car. Volkswagen also has to worry about the other three brands under its umbrella affected by the scandal: Audi, Skoda and SEAT.
“We’re working as quickly as we can to find a solution for our customers,” said Eric Felber, a spokesman for Volkswagen, declining to comment on specific options. “As soon as we can give a reliable statement to that end, we’ll do so without delay.”
It remains to be seen how this scandal will affect diesel sales overall in Europe, where they made up for the majority of new car registrations last year. But if other manufacturers fail to be proven guilty of similar tactics, it's very much likely the fallout of Dieselgate will be minimal for the whole European market.
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