India to find out if Volkswagen cheated emission tests here too

Asked by the Indian government to probe whether Volkswagen (VW) has manipulated emission tests here as it did in the United States, automotive-testing agency Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has said it has started the process and has sought details from the company on the issue.

VW has admitted that 11 million cars worldwide were fitted with the software that helped in manipulating emission tests. It is now facing investigations in the United States, South Korea, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the United States, VW faces fine to the tune of USD 18 billion.

The allegations against Germany’s largest carmaker were initially raised by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which ordered it to recall nearly half a million diesel cars fitted with a device that allowed cars to pass emission-control tests by showing much lower levels of pollution than in regular ordinary use. The software enabled its cars to detect when they were on emission-control tests. When the test is complete, the engine returns to the regular driving mode, which has now been found to produce 40 times the permitted level of nitrogen oxide.