The Volkswagen Group has to recall all vehicles sporting 3-liter diesel engines in California, due to an order the California Air Resources Board (CARB) just issued.
CARB gave Volkswagen AG a full 45 business days to call back its models featuring software that the regulators think can distort emissions tests. The measure targets VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles built during 2009 or later.
Audi admitted that its engines behaved differently during emissions testing, but did not confess to the cheating in the same way the Volkswagen did when proof of software rigging surfaced earlier this year.
"Audi, Porsche and VW are expected to take appropriate corrective action to remedy the nonconformity and return these vehicles to claimed certification configurations which meet required standards," said Annette Hebert, a division chief at the CARB.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CARB affirmed that the rigged software was installed on around 85,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles with 3-liter and six-cylinder engines. Models that sport the roaring engine are VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne, Audi SUVs Q7 and Q5, as well as the sedans Audi A6, A7 and A8.
Audi Spokesperson Udo Ruegheimer pointed out that the software was not crafted with cheating in mind, according to Bloomberg. Audi, the company that manufactured the engines found on VW and Porsche vehicles, aims to work closely with the regulatory board to see the issues resolved as soon as possible, Ruegheimer noted.
In November, when environmental regulators found problems in the larger VW engines, the Wolfsburg-based company claimed that the software in its larger vehicles was cheat-free. Audi took a step forward and admitted that its 3-liter engines were equipped with Auxiliary Emissions Control Devices, a detail that was hidden from the California agency.
According to CARB's letter to the car manufacturer, this qualifies as an illegal action.
On Nov. 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mentioned that was working closely with the California board to solve the problems with the 3.0-liter engines.
Despite the fact that the 3.0 liter engine was of Audi design, every brand under VW installed it on their vehicles.
"They independently certified their products," Hebert's letter underlined, making all VW's car brands liable.
