Volkswagen is recalling nearly 2,000 cars that were sold in China amid a growing scandal over its efforts to circumvent federal air pollution emission standards, BBC News reports.
The recalls come after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accused Volkswagen of selling about 482,000 vehicles in the U.S. since 2008 that violate the Clean Air Act due to software installed in the vehicles that activates required air pollution protections only during emissions tests.
China’s environment minister is launching an investigation into cars that Volkswagen has sold there, according to the report.
{mosads}The BBC reported that Volkswagen is recalling 1,950 cars that have been sold in China, which are mostly its Tiguan model.
Volkswagen has been under fire since it was revealed that the company programmed vehicles to trick emissions testers into believing its diesel cars released a much lower volume of nitrogen oxide than they actually do. In regular driving, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times more pollution.
Volkswagen has admitted to the accusations, and its U.S. CEO offered a “sincere apology” to lawmakers during a testy hearing on Capitol Hill last week.
“On behalf of our company, and my colleagues in Germany, I would like to offer a sincere apology for Volkswagen’s use of a software program that served to defeat the regular emissions testing regime,” Volkswagen’s CEO for North America, Michael Horn, said during a Thursday hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s oversight panel.
“These events are deeply troubling,” he added. “I did not think that something like this was possible at the Volkswagen Group. We have broken the trust of our customers, dealerships and employees, as well as the public and regulators.”