VW’s US CEO apologizes for emissions scandal

Volkswagen of America CEO Michael Horn apologized Thursday in front of a House panel for the company's use of the so-called “defeat device” that was designed to cheat on government emissions tests in nearly 500,000 of its four-cylinder “clean diesel” cars and promised to “fully cooperate with all responsible authorities.” 

“On behalf of our company, and my colleagues in Germany and me personally, 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,” Horn said in testifying in front of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. 

Horn called what occurred “deeply troubling” and told committee members: “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,” Horn said. 

Horn, testifying under oath, told lawmakers that he believes the emissions rigging was not an organized undertaking by the company, but rather a small group of individuals. 

“Investigations are ongoing, but this was not a corporate decision. … To my best knowledge today, the corporation in no board meeting or supervisory meeting has authorized this, but this was a couple of software engineers who put this in for whatever reasons,” Horn said.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, asked Horn if he believed that senior level corporate managers had no knowledge of the software, which was first installed on cars for the 2009 model year.

“I agree it’s very hard to believe and personally a struggle as well,” Horn responded.

Horn said most of the U.S. cars affected by the scandal will need complex hardware and software fixes that will take several years. He said while the cars will still receive the window sticker fuel mileage when they are repaired, the fixes might affect performance.

Horn said software changes alone will work for newer models, but 430,000 cars dating to 2009 will need mechanical fixes that are still being developed.

The German automaker admitted last month that it installed on-board computer software designed to cheat on government emissions tests in “clean diesel” cars starting with the 2009 model year.

Horn, a 51-year-old German and veteran VW manager who took the reins of the brand's U.S. subsidiary last year, told Congress that VW plans to withdraw applications seeking U.S. emissions certifications for its 2016 model Jettas, Golfs, Passats and Beetles with diesel engines. That raised questions about whether a “defeat device” similar to that in earlier models is also in the new cars.

By withdrawing the applications for the 2016 models, VW is leaving thousands of diesel vehicles stranded at ports nationwide, giving dealers no new diesel-powered vehicles to sell. It wasn't immediately clear when VW would re-file its application.

VW acknowledged the deception to U.S. regulators on Sept. 3, more than year earlier, researchers at West Virginia University published a study showing the real-world emissions of the company's Jetta and Passat models were far higher than allowed. The same cars had met emissions standards when tested in the lab.

VW was able to fool the EPA because the agency only tested the cars on treadmill-like devices called dynamometers and didn't use portable test equipment on real roads.

The software in the cars' engine-control computers determined when dynamometer tests were under way. It then turned on pollution controls that reduced the output of nitrogen oxides that contribute to smog and other pollution, the EPA has said.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press