After bouts of speculation and uncertainty following one of the largest scandals in the history of the automotive industry, the Volkswagen Group has finally announced a plan to recall and refit its diesel cars which were equipped with software to manipulate emissions.

To begin with, the Group will inform the customers whose cars are affected and will refit them to correct the emission characteristics that were manipulated earlier. The Group brands affected will also set up national websites to update customers on developments, it said.

“An internal evaluation on Friday established that a service procedure is required for some five million vehicles from the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand out of a total 11 million Group vehicles worldwide. These vehicles from certain models and model years such as the sixth generation Volkswagen Golf, the seventh generation Volkswagen Passat or the first generation Volkswagen Tiguan are fitted with Type EA 189 diesel engines,” the company said in an official statement.

 Apart from this, Volkswagen and the other Group brands whose vehicles are affected will also present the “technical solutions and measures” to the responsible authorities in October. Not all of the 11 million vehicles, however, would have had the software activated, according to new CEO Matthias Mueller.

A week ago, Europe's biggest carmaker had admitted cheating in diesel emissions tests in the United States and Germany's transport minister said that it also manipulated them in Europe, where Volkswagen sells about 40 percent of its vehicles.

Refitting 11 million cars would be among the biggest recalls in history by a single automaker. While the Group has set aside 6.5 billion euros (Rs 49,686 crore) to cover the costs, it might need more given the growing list of unhappy customers and legal troubles that it may face.

More from VW Dieselgate:

- Vehicle recall likely soon, brands yet to finalise plan

- Audi and Skoda cars affected

- Matthias Muller announced as new VW Group CEO

- How a university lab helped unearth the VW emissions scandal

- Winterkorn steps down as Volkswagen boss

- Motherson Sumi denies any impact from VW dieselgate

- Made-In-India cars affected?

- 11m vehicles worldwide could come under scanner