Volkswagen has made it known to the Indian authorities that its cars are not equipped with a ‘defeat device’ which is at the core of the emissions scam.

In a press release issued here on Thursday, the company has sought to ‘clarify its position, the outcome and the way forward on the EA 189 diesel engine topic’ after its meetings with the Government and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India).

VW has stated that it has presented its observations, findings and outlines of possible solutions on the EA 189 engines to the Government and ARAI.

It has intimated why it believes that its cars are not equipped with a ‘defeat device’.

Furthermore, the findings from the evaluations undertaken by VW Group India under the observation of ARAI show that the tested cars of the brands Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi are not violating the Bharat Stage IV emission norms.

To come to a common conclusion on this topic, further meetings with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will take place.

Solution time To be in line with the latest technical updates on the EA 189 diesel engines announced for the European markets, VW Group India has already announced a voluntary recall of all cars with EA 189 engines in the country. According to the release, it will implement technical updates in accordance with the timelines presented to the authorities.

The 2-litre engines will get a software update. In the 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre engines, a ‘flow transformer’ will be fitted in front of the air mass sensor. In addition, a software update will also be performed on these engines. The measure for the 1.2-litre engines will be announced shortly.

The first solutions are expected to be implemented from the first quarter of 2016 and will be continued in a stepwise manner.

All the customers will be informed directly by the respective brands. The existing software does not affect the handling, technical safety or the roadworthiness of the car. All necessary technical measures will be implemented at no cost to the customers.

VW says it will continue production and sales of cars with EA 189 engines in India. All technical measures will be implemented as soon as they are available.

comment COMMENT NOW