VW Prepares to Recall Diesels Involved in Emission Scandal

Volkswagen AG says it intends to retrofit as many as 11 million diesel engines that currently are equipped with software that can defeat government emission tests.

VW expects to begin notifying owners of the recall within a few weeks but has not indicated what repairs will be made or when they will begin. It also isn't clear how the update will affect vehicle performance or fuel economy. Observers speculate the company could install a more powerful catalytic converter, add a urea injection system, or both.

The campaign involves VW's "EA 189" family of 4-cylinder diesels, which displace 2.0 liters or less. Affected passenger car brands are VW (5 million units), Audi (2.1 million), Skoda (1.2 million) and SEAT (700,000). The recall also will repair about 1.8 million light commercial vehicles.

Matthias Mueller, who took over as VW's new CEO last week, says the actual number of vehicles repaired may be lower, because the cheater software in some vehicles was not activated.

In the meantime, sales of new vehicles powered by EA 189 engines have been suspended in several countries, including Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S., until VW can confirm the cars meet emission standards under real-world driving conditions.