An investigation into Volkswagen’s emissions scandal has found that carbon emissions and fuel consumption were understated on far fewer cars than expected.
The company announced in November that it had falsified fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in petrol cars, separate from the larger scandal involving so-called ‘defeat devices’ in diesel cars.
Following the news in November, it was suspected that as much as 800,000 cars could be affected but the company has announced that the figure is more likely to be closer to 36,000 after conducting its investigation.
The news comes at a time when the troubled car-maker was facing potential costs of up to €2bn (£1.4bn) as a result of the scandal, an amount which may now be significantly lower.
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Shares in Volkswagen jumped 5% in Germany to €131.05 (£95) following the announcement on Wednesday.
VW was initially caught installing so-called defeat devices in their cars which could detect when the vehicle was under examination and lower the nitrogen oxide emissions.
The “defeat devices” in question were found in a number of different vehicles, including the Audi A3, as well as VW’s Jetta, Beetle, Golf, and Passat.
The company was forced to recall 500,000 cars across the US as a result.
The latest developments are separate to the initial diesel scandal and involve CO2 emissions and fuel consumption
A supervisory board will meet on Thursday to discuss the investigations where an executive from VW’s Audi unit will outline plans to fix cars fitted with the ‘defeat devices’.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
