The scandal so far has focused on 11 million vehicles outfitted with EA 189 powerplants. The company initially claimed its latest EA 288 engines do not operate with any ‘defeat’ software to cheat emissions tests, however older engines in the same family are said to have been added to the inquiry.
“Other generations of the EA288 are currently being examined,” the company confirmed in a statement published by Autocar.
The company did not elaborate, though the comments have been interpreted as a reference to certain 1.6- and 2.0-liter TDI mills that arrived on the market in 2012. Defeat software may have been used to meet Euro 5 emissions standards at the time, though the newer Euro 6-generation engines are said to be compliant.
The statement follows reports that suggest VW engineers may have adapted the defeat software for different engines and markets, hinting at a potentially wider conspiracy to dodge emissions regulations across the globe.
The automaker expects to begin recalling its offending models early next year. Some will receive a simple software update, while others will require a larger catalytic converter or a urea-injection system.
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