Pollution: Volkswagen Korea apologises, considers recall

Volkswagen issued a public apology in South Korea on Thursday over its global pollution-cheating scam, vowing to consider a voluntary recall in the country. The statement came as the German auto giant faces an avalanche of lawsuits from local customers who are following their US counterparts in seeking damages from the company over the emissions scandal.

“I sincerely apologize over betraying customers’ trust”, Volkswagen Korea President Thomas Kuehl said in a newspaper advertisement.

South Korean government officials said last week Volkswagen planned to recall as many as 120,000 diesel cars sold in the country as part of its worldwide response to the damaging scandal. The move is part of a global recall of millions of Volkswagen cars fitted with devices that can switch on pollution controls when they detect the car is undergoing testing.

South Korea’s Environment Ministry last week kicked off emissions tests on a number of Volkswagen models sold domestically, including the Golf, Audi A3, Jetta and Beetle. Kuehl said Volkswagen Korea and its German headquarters are working closely with the government to tackle the issue.

“We will implement all possible measures including the consideration of a (voluntary) recall”, he added.

Seoul-based Barun Law said that some 40 Volkswagen owners had filed complaints with the court over the past week, adding that hundreds expected to file complaints in coming weeks.

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Pollution: Volkswagen Korea apologises, considers recall

Volkswagen issued a public apology in South Korea on Thursday over its global pollution-cheating scam, vowing to consider a voluntary recall in the country. The statement came as the German auto giant faces an avalanche of lawsuits from local customers who are following their US counterparts in seeking damages from the company over the emissions scandal.

“I sincerely apologize over betraying customers’ trust”, Volkswagen Korea President Thomas Kuehl said in a newspaper advertisement.

South Korean government officials said last week Volkswagen planned to recall as many as 120,000 diesel cars sold in the country as part of its worldwide response to the damaging scandal. The move is part of a global recall of millions of Volkswagen cars fitted with devices that can switch on pollution controls when they detect the car is undergoing testing.

South Korea’s Environment Ministry last week kicked off emissions tests on a number of Volkswagen models sold domestically, including the Golf, Audi A3, Jetta and Beetle. Kuehl said Volkswagen Korea and its German headquarters are working closely with the government to tackle the issue.

“We will implement all possible measures including the consideration of a (voluntary) recall”, he added.

Seoul-based Barun Law said that some 40 Volkswagen owners had filed complaints with the court over the past week, adding that hundreds expected to file complaints in coming weeks.

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German prosecutors investigating ex-Volkswagen CEO over pollution scam

German prosecutors have announced that they opened a criminal investigation into Volkswagen’s former chief executive Martin Winterkorn over a worldwide pollution cheating scandal.Winterkorn resigned in the midst of global outrage after Volkswagen revealed that 11 million of its diesel vehicles are equipped with devices that fool official pollution tests.

The world’s top-selling carmaker admitted that it had rigged diesel emissions to pass US tests during his tenure. The investigation will concentrate on the suspicion of fraud committed through the sale of vehicles with manipulated emissions data and aims to determine who was responsible for it, prosecutors in Braunschweig said in a statement.

“The investigation will focus on the allegation of fraud by selling vehicles with manipulated emission values,” the statement said.

“The aim of the investigation is to clarify the chain of responsibility,” it added.

In the German system, anyone can file a criminal complaint with prosecutors, who are then obliged to examine it and decide whether there is enough evidence to open a formal investigation.

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German prosecutors investigating ex-Volkswagen CEO over pollution scam

German prosecutors have announced that they opened a criminal investigation into Volkswagen’s former chief executive Martin Winterkorn over a worldwide pollution cheating scandal.Winterkorn resigned in the midst of global outrage after Volkswagen revealed that 11 million of its diesel vehicles are equipped with devices that fool official pollution tests.

The world’s top-selling carmaker admitted that it had rigged diesel emissions to pass US tests during his tenure. The investigation will concentrate on the suspicion of fraud committed through the sale of vehicles with manipulated emissions data and aims to determine who was responsible for it, prosecutors in Braunschweig said in a statement.

“The investigation will focus on the allegation of fraud by selling vehicles with manipulated emission values,” the statement said.

“The aim of the investigation is to clarify the chain of responsibility,” it added.

In the German system, anyone can file a criminal complaint with prosecutors, who are then obliged to examine it and decide whether there is enough evidence to open a formal investigation.

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Volkswagen recalls 420,000 cars over air bag problem

Volkswagen has recalled no fewer than 420,000 cars in the United States to fix a fault that could prevent air bags from deploying, the firm said on Friday. The world’s biggest car maker said the recall affected its Golf, Passat, Jetta and Tiguan models assembled between 2010 and 2014.

The recall comes as the German group struggles to overcome under-performance in the world’s second-largest auto market, where the sale of VW-branded cars has plunged. A spokesman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said debris could, under certain circumstances, interfere with the clock spring that kept the vehicles’ air bags powered.

He, however, added that no such incident had been reported. The source added that the company was also examining whether such issues affected cars delivered to other markets.

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