Cars in India not equipped with defeat device, meet norms: Volkswagen

Crisis-hit German auto major Volkswagen on Thursday said its recall of 3.24 lakh vehicles in India would begin in the first quarter of 2016, even as it contested the government’s charge of committing a “well thought-out crime” by cheating on emission tests.

The company insisted its cars sold in India are not equipped with the ‘defeat device’ and they did not violate BS IV emission norms in the country. The auto maker has been found to have deployed this device to cheat on emission tests in cars sold in various countries, including the US.

A government-ordered probe here also found violations on the part of the company, following which Volkswagen earlier on Monday announced recall of 3,23,700 vehicles sold in India between 2008 and 2015.

Stating that it expects to start the recall process in the first quarter of 2016, Volkswagen Group India said it has presented its observations, findings and outlines of possible solutions on the EA 189 engines.