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Scandal-hit German carmaker Volkswagen on Monday said it will recall 1,950 diesel vehicles in China to rectify engine software that cheats on emissions tests, following warnings from China's top quality watchdog.
The company is working on developing a remedy for customers and will submit solutions to Chinese authorities soon, the world's largest automaker said, citing a report submitted by Volkswagen to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
The announcement follows warnings from China's top quality watchdog about 1,946 imported Tiguan and four imported Passat powered by EA189 diesel engines, which are affected in the emissions scandal.
Volkswagen should recall the affected vehicles as soon as possible and keep Chinese authorities updated to protect Chinese customers' interests, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
On September 18, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Notice of Violation (NOA) of the Clean Air Act to Volkswagen (Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America) accusing the company of installing software that circumvented emission control tests in about half million diesel cars sold in the US since 2008.
The software, which the EPA called a "defeat device", only runs the full emission controls when the car is being tested.
During normal driving, however, the car will emit nitrogen oxide of up to 40 times the standard. The automaker, which offered its "sincerest apologies" to Chinese customers, has accepted installing software designed to cheat emissions tests.
The company said 11 million vehicles were affected worldwide and has already appointed a new chief executive and chairman after the emissions tests in the US.
It has launched a thorough investigation into the scandal, but new chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said last week that answers would take "some time".
The automaker recalled 384,000 vehicles in China two years ago to fix gearboxes after state television publicised complaints about them.