New York Attorney General, Eric Schneidermann says his office will launch an inquiry into software used on Volkswagen diesel cars, which featured discrepancies on emissions tests.
Eric Schneiderman's office made the announcement as Volkswagen CEO, Martin Winterkorn suddenly stepped down yesterday (23 September) with the diesel emissions storm claiming its first scalp.
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Volkswagen is recalling nearly 500,000 cars in the US and says the discrepancies relate to 11m vehicles with Type EA189 engines worldwide.
“No company should be allowed to evade our environmental laws or promise consumers a fake bill of goods," said Schneidermann. "That is why my office is investigating troubling reports millions of Volkswagen cars carried software designed to cheat emissions tests that protect our environment.
“We will seek to uphold New York’s strong tradition of consumer and environmental protections as this investigation proceeds.
“We look forward to collaborating with Attorneys General across the nation on this matter.”
For its part, Volkswagen noted earlier: “A noticeable deviation between bench test results and actual road use was established solely for this type of engine,” said a VW statement. “Volkswagen is working intensely to eliminate these deviations through technical measures.
“The company is therefore in contact with the relevant authorities and the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA – Kraftfahrtbundesamt)."
