Australia will review its standards and testing procedures for vehicle emissions, Canberra said yesterday, after media reports said the recent scandal involving Volkswagen cars highlighted the country’s relatively lax standards.
In a joint statement, the Australian environment, major projects and energy ministers said they would set up a working group aimed at reducing harmful vehicle emissions and increasing fuel efficiency in cars sold in Australia.
The move comes after media reports following the Volkswagen scandal said Australia’s standards for vehicle emissions were lower than in other developed nations, largely due to attempts to cut costs for the local car manufacturing industry which has been unable to compete with imports and will cease production entirely in 2017.
Volkswagen is embroiled in a global scandal after tests showed that thousands of vehicles had been fitted with devices designed to mask the level of emissions.
The company, which on Wednesday booked its first quarterly loss in more than 15 years, is facing probes in several countries after admitting it fitted 11 million diesel vehicles with software to cheat emissions tests.
Volkswagen will offer staff an amnesty from getting fired if they reveal to hired investigators what they know about the rigging of diesel emission tests, German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday.
The company made the decision because it is under pressure to disclose meaningful results to US authorities, said the paper, which worked with German broadcasters NRD and WDR.
The company has said it hired advisory firm Deloitte and US law firm Jones Day to investigate under what circumstances the company installed software into diesel cars that changed engine settings to reduce emissions whenever the vehicle was put through tests.
A spokesman said the investigation was running at full speed, but declined to comment further.
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