Volkswagen to recall 11 million cars

BERLIN

Volkswagen Group has announced that it would recall 11 million diesel cars worldwide, amid a widening scandal over emissions test.

The German carmaker released Tuesday an action plan to address the scandal and promised that it will “correct the emissions characteristics of diesel vehicles” in which illegal software was used to cheat the emission tests.

“In a first step, the customers affected will be informed that the emissions characteristics of their vehicles will be corrected in the near future. All vehicles are technically safe and roadworthy,” the company said in a written statement.

The world’s biggest carmaker also said that Volkswagen and the other brands of the group, including Audi and Skoda, will submit their technical solutions, as well as their planned measures to the relevant authorities before the end of October.

“Customers with these vehicles will be kept informed over the coming weeks and months. All of the Group brands affected will set up national websites to update customers on developments,” the statement said.

A total of eleven million group vehicles, including some five million vehicles from the main label Volkswagen will require service procedure, according to the action plan.

The group announced that new vehicles with EU6 engines are not affected from the scandal.

Volkswagen admitted on Sept. 22 that diesel vehicles produced by the German carmaker, which is now the world's largest ahead of Toyota, were equipped with a software device used to cheat diesel-emission tests.

The scandal forced the resignation of Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn on Sept. 23.

German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday that electronics manufacturer Bosch had warned Volkswagen in 2007 in a letter that the planned use of the supplied software was illegal.