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Volkswagen RECALL May 8 million vehicles in Europe.
Transport Minister of Germany, Alexander Dobrindt, said Thursday that the country would start a recall of about 2 4 million Volkswagen in early 2016.
By REUTERS Publish Date October 15, Wolfgang Photo 2015 Kumm DPA by Agence France-Presse Getty Images Watch the video time.
BERLIN Reacting to pressure from German regulators Volkswagen recalled Thursday in Europe, its diesel fleet of cars rigged as the automaker scrambles to come up with a cure for his cheating emissions.
While a broad recall was expected, the move reflects the difficulty that Volkswagen faces set 11 million vehicles worldwide contain a so-called defeat device whose emissions effectively reduced for test purposes the company reports that repairs can stretch beyond the end of 2016.
Volkswagen presented a plan last week to the German regulatory authorities, describing the repairs three diesel models, which largely involved the updating of vehicle software, but the country's authorities considered the insufficient level and ordered the company to remember February 4 million vehicles Thursday; Volkswagen later in the day adopted the German order more broadly, announcing a recall 8 5 million diesel cars in Europe.
German regulators gave Volkswagen until the end of November to explain the technical details of the remedy Volkswagen said it would begin to recall and repair the German cars in January.
Regulators in the US are waiting for a detailed solution before ordering Volkswagen to recall its cars Volkswagen officials have indicated that the repair almost half a million affected cars in the United States may require a broader solution because US standards on emissions of nitrogen oxides are more difficult than those of the European Union.
The Environmental Protection Agency will order a recall once the agency has been testing to confirm that the solution proposed by Volkswagen will be effective, a spokesman for the regulator, Laura Allen, said in an email Thursday EPA conduct our own tests to confirm then we will order a recall.
Carl Tobias, law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia who has studied automotive safety issues, said the German recall was a positive development.
Instead of a proposal, generated by Volkswagen and subject to what they want to do, is now responsible authority and dictate what happens, M. Tobias said in a telephone interview.
It still depends on the rigor of authority will be with Volkswagen, M. Tobias said VW has always been very careful regarding the timeline, and we won t have known for some time.
The scandal has dealt a major blow to a company once revered for its engineering and quality activities.
Volkswagen holds almost mythic status in the world of German business and is deeply intertwined with the emotions of recovery after the Second World War the company is governed by a unique structure involving a hybrid control by members of the Porsche and Piëch families, the government of the State of Lower Saxony and union representatives.
In the past, Volkswagen has been dominated by strong personalities with a high style down the decision some critics said may have contributed to the decisions that led to the scandal.
At a meeting with senior executives in Leipzig on Thursday Matthias Müller, new CEO of Volkswagen, marked a break with this management style, saying that the future decision-making would be less centralized and the division managers Volkswagen have greater autonomy.
Volkswagen is not a one-man show, M. Müller said in an address.
It is certainly not my intention to intervene in decisions regarding the products, M. Müller said, contrasting his predecessor, Martin Winterkorn, who liked to be involved in the minutiae of product development Whether a windshield is at an angle of one degree higher or not, I m not going to worry about that.
Following the scandal, the company also seems to shift gears on the strategy.
This week, Volkswagen said it would develop electric vehicles in the past, the company has been slow to adopt such offers, despite a commitment by the German government for one million electric cars on the road to 2020.
Barbara Hendricks, the German environment minister, said in comments on state television ZDF on Thursday morning that the government should consider scrapping of tax subsidies for diesel, preferring rather to encourage electric vehicle technology more respectful of the environment.
She later backtracked, issuing a statement in which it warned against the demonization of diesel technology, a warning was also sounded by the Minister of Transport of Germany, Alexander Dobrindt According to a study by Roland Berger consultants, over 50 percent of all new new passenger cars sold in Europe run on diesel, which is favored for its fuel economy, despite its higher emission of pollutants.
Volkswagen is now racing to deal with the fallout The company is facing a series of investigations and prosecutions worldwide.
The Ministry of Transport of Austria said Thursday that all engines concerned with Volkswagens would be recalled in this country.
Representatives of the Federal Authority of Road Transport known by its German initials K B A and other national authorities were in Brussels to inform the European Commission investigate the scandal in their markets.
The K B A believes that the software used in diesel engines is a defeat illegal device, said Mr Dobrindt, adding that the mandatory recall would be overseen by the K B A.
The authority asked that Volkswagen remove the software and to take all necessary measures to ensure that emissions regulations are met.
Volkswagen said it would put side 6 5 billion euros to cover the vehicle fixing costs, said costs could swell beyond that amount.
On Thursday, Volkswagen shares finished the day in Germany down 3 percent 2 In all, they have lost more than a quarter of their value since the disappointment was communicated on 18 September.
The ultimate solution for all cars, the company said, will be complicated, requiring different solutions for different markets.
While vehicles with engines 1 and 2 2 liter seemed to need replacement software to bring them in compliance with the model 1 of 6 liters would most likely require additional hardware to solve the problem such material, said Mr Dobrindt would not be ready for next September.
But he expressed confidence that Volkswagen would be able to meet the requirements of the authority we have the impression that Volkswagen is technically capable of carrying out technical measures, he said.
Volkswagen announced Thursday that it would directly contact and notify customers who have vehicles with an affected engine The company has a website set up this month where customers could enter a vehicle identification number to check it would be part of the recall.
A version of this article appears in the press October 16, 2015, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline Under pressure, VW adds Recall in Europe today Subscribe order paper reprints.
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