The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday said it has ordered Volkswagen (VW) AG Taiwan to recall 17,744 diesel cars that were fitted with software that could allegedly cheat emissions tests, and that the permits of all affected VW models would be suspended.
The recall order came after the company told the EPA that 16 VW, Audi and Skoda models were equipped with the software, despite a VW diesel model passing the EPA’s laboratory emissions test last week, the EPA said.
The EPA said it asked the company to offer compensation to affected car owners commensurate with those offered by the company’s German headquarters.
The company is also to provide a list of affected car models and car owners to the government and establish a special Web site to collect car owners’ opinions.
The EPA said it would suspend the emission licenses of the problematic vehicles, while performing random inspections on new and used VW vehicles, and any suspected emissions violations would be transferred to prosecutors.
The EPA had issued emissions licenses to the affected models without conducting independent tests, as VW Taiwan applied for the licenses using certificates issued by the EU that were recognized by the Taiwanese authorities, the EPA said.
The government would continue using a portable emissions measurement system to assess “in-use” emissions and fuel economy of the cars, while it is considering further disciplinary action in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法) and the Administrative Penalty Act (行政罰法), the EPA said.
Car owners can visit VW Taiwan or the EPA’s Web sites to see what car models are affected, the EPA said, adding that such models are still allowed to be driven.
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