The Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal that we reported on last week continues to grab headlines.
The latest news pertaining specifically to the UK is that sales of 4000 new vehicles are to be “suspended” according to a Sky News report. These are cars with a specific engine, model EA189.
As suspected right at the beginning, the scandal has now spread to other marques under the Volkswagen banner, including Skoda, Audi and Seat. VW have confessed that over 10 Million vehicles worldwide are fitted with technology that has allowed them to “cheat” on diesel emissions tests.
The UK isn’t the first nation to suspend sales. Certain VW brand models have already been withdrawn from the market in the US, Canada and Switzerland.
Next comes the big recall, predicted to be one of the largest in motoring history. The fear is that after corrective work, some people may find their cars are less economical and do not perform as well as before. 1.2 Million cars are expected to be recalled in the UK alone, with owners expecting to hear from VW from next week.
Two big questions occur: The first is whether Volkswagen will ever truly recover from this scandal. The second is the major elephant in the room – namely whether this “cheating” has been exclusive to the VW group, or whether, in time, we’ll find other manufacturers implicated in similar scandals. If any other brands do have skeletons in their closets, it’s unlikely their executives are getting much sleep right now…
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