India government to widen net to test other carmakers in VW dieselgate aftermath

After finding ‘significant discrepancies’ in the on-road emission levels of some VW cars in India compared to laboratory measurements and issuing a showcause notice to the German carmaker, the Indian government is now looking to widen the net to test cars of other OEMs as well.

“The government is planning to test cars from all OEMs for emission levels,” Ambuj Sharma, additional secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries, told journalists in Mumbai today.

Reportedly, the government is also looking at making on-road testing along with laboratory tests as a norm to approve the vehicles in the future.

At present, cars in India only undergo laboratory emission tests before they are declared fit for road usage, but the government is considering on-road tests in the aftermath of the dieselgate, where VW was caught manipulating on road emissions. 

The government, through ARAI, the agency in-charge of the investigation, found significant variation of 5 to 6 times more on the emission on road versus testing the vehicle in the laboratory. A total of 11 cars were tested by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and emission discrepancies were found in VW’s Polo, Jetta, Vento and Audi A4 models.

According to estimates, there are around 314,000 cars with Volkswagen’s EA189 series diesel engines in India, Sharma said.

If proved of any wrongdoing in India, the German carmaker may have to face criminal proceedings, fine and recall of vehicles, Sharma had said earlier. Volkswagen is expected to respond to the government’s notice by the end of the month.

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