Volkswagen studying impact of emission scandal on India, no recall yet

New Delhi: Emission scandal-hit Volkswagen Monday said it is still evaluating the impact on India, and a recall of vehicles will depend on findings of the ongoing investigations.

The company said it is in communication with testing agency ARAI, which has been asked by the government to probe if Volkswagen manipulated emission tests in India as it did in the US and Europe.

"The impact of the matter on India is still being evaluated, and Volkswagen is currently working at full speed to establish further technical facts," a Volkswagen India spokesperson said in an e-mailed response.

"To issue an advisory to customers about the topic or to call back the cars depends on the findings of the ongoing investigations. We would like to reiterate that all vehicles in customers' hands are technically safe and roadworthy right now."

When asked how many vehicles sold by the VW group, including VW, Audi and Skoda brand could be affected, he said: "The analysis is still going on and the number cannot be confirmed as of now."

Commenting on the probe by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the spokesperson said: "ARAI has requested Volkswagen India to present the details of all the cars sold in India with the EA189 engine and we are in communication with them on the matter."

The EA189 diesel engines were fitted with the software that enabled manipulation of emission tests. VW has already announced that globally around 11 million vehicles have been affected.

"We have provided a first overview and are currently compiling the data and awaiting results from Germany on the evaluations to present the accurate picture to ARAI within the next weeks," the spokesperson added.

Last week, ARAI was given time till the end of this month to file a report on the probe by the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises.

The spokesperson also said the scandal will not affect new model launch programmes in India.

"India is among the most critical markets for Volkswagen, and we would like to reiterate our commitment towards strengthening our position in the Indian market. The production and sales of our cars are going on as per the plan," he said, adding that the company would have to decide on necessary actions "as soon as we have further information".