FRANKFURT, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- German automaker Volkswagen (VW) on Thursday said it welcomed the decision by the national industry watchdog to force the company to recall up to 8.5 million vehicles in light of the emissions cheating scandal.
"Volkswagen Group will recall a total of approximately 8.5 million vehicles in Europe (EU28 markets), including some 2.4 million vehicles in Germany, according to Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA)," said a statement published by the company on its website.
The company said it welcomed the "swift decision" by the KBA to implement the timetable and plan of measures by issuing a recall. "This decision gives customers clarity with regard to the continued unrestricted use of the vehicles," said the statement.
The KBA has ordered a mandatory recall of 2.4 million diesel Volkswagen vehicles affected by the emissions testing scandal. It rejected VW's proposed idea of "voluntary repair" to deal with vehicles sold in Germany that have been equipped with contentious emissions software.
With regard to markets outside the EU28 area, each country will clarify in detail which emissions classes of the EA 189 engine are in fact affected, VW said.
The company revealed that it was working on technical solutions "at full speed". According to the statement, the remedial action on the vehicles will begin in January 2016.
The software installed by VW in its cars called "defeat device" can turn on full emission controls only when the car is undergoing emission tests so as to meet the legal emission standards. Under normal driving conditions, the cars with "defeat device" software can emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times the standard.
VW has admitted that a total of 11 million diesel cars worldwide may have been involved in the scandal.
