The US head of Volkswagen (VW) yesterday prepared to apologize to the US Congress over the “deeply troubling” pollution scandal as it emerged he knew of a potential problem with vehicle emissions as early as spring last year.
In testimony released ahead of his hearing with the US House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee, Volkswagen of America CEO Michael Horn offered a “sincere apology” for Volkswagon’s use of a software program “that served to defeat the regular emissions testing regime.”
He said he was made aware of “a possible emissions non-compliance” early last year after researchers at the University of West Virginia found that the cars affected released up to 40 times as much nitrogen oxide than was legally permissible.
Horn said he was also told by his staff at that time that US authorities could conduct tests for so-called “defeat devices,” which release lower levels of emissions under testing.
He said that later that year he was informed technical teams had a plan to bring the vehicles into compliance, and that they were working with the authorities on the process.
He said Volkswagen finally admitted to US regulators last month that hidden software installed in certain diesel vehicles “could recognize whether a vehicle was being operated in a test laboratory or on the road,” emitting higher levels of pollution outside the lab.
The company had “broken the trust of our customers, dealerships and employees, as well as the public and regulators,” he said, according to the prepared testimony, promising those responsible would be held accountable.
The world’s biggest carmaker by sales has launched investigations into who was behind the scam, which involved more than 11 million diesel cars.
The powerful US Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday said it was probing whether the company used the defeat devices to unfairly gain tax credits on diesel cars sold in the US.
Altogether, buyers of Volkswagon cars and the company itself may have benefitted from more than US$50 million in these subsidies under the 2005 Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit, in its 2009 and 2010 models, the committee said.
In related news, Volkswagen issued a public apology in South Korea over the scam and said it would consider a voluntary recall of 120,000 cars in the country.
Volkswagon Korea president Thomas Kuehl was due to answer politicians’ questions in parliament yesterday afternoon, according to state broadcaster KBS.
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