VW South Africa addresses gas pollution scandal

Volkswagen said in a statement: “There has been extensive international media coverage relating to irregularities in Nitrogen oxide emission values measured during dynamometer regarding the emission standard Euro 5 of Volkswagen diesel vehicles fitted with the type EA189 Euro 5 engines.”

In South Africa the compliance standard is EU 2, all Volkswagen Group diesel vehicles of the type EA 189 retailed in South Africa, that is, Volkswagen passenger, Audi, Light and Medium Commercial Vehicles comply with this standard for Nitrogen oxide emissions, according to the car manufacturer.

“We want to further confirm that the bench mode in the software does not affect negatively the CO₂ values. Our vehicles accordingly comply with the published CO₂ values. Furthermore they are technically safe and roadworthy,” they said.

VW added: “We would like to apologise to our customers for any uncertainty that may have been created over this issue and want to assure our valued customers, that their vehicles meet all the legal requirements in terms of which the National Regulator approved the sale for use in South Africa.”

“There is therefore no action required on either the part of the customer or our dealers,” they concluded.

Last week, VW’s home town of Wolfsburg, in northern Germany, imposed an immediate freeze on spending and hiring in case its finances are hit by the massive pollution test scam engulfing the carmaker, city officials announced.

“Even if our town is debt-free and we’ve been able to build up reserves, we can expect to see a sharp drop in business tax,” Wolfsburg’s mayor Klaus Mohrs said in a statement released late on Monday.

“It is still too early to talk about concrete numbers. But it seems clear to us that we can already expect a sharp drop in business tax revenues this year,” Mohrs said.