Volkswagen May Be Facing Penalties Of Up To $18 Billion
German car manufacturer Volkswagen may have to pay fines and penalties totaling up to $18 billion after they fitted some of their cars with illegal devices to fool emission tests. The large fine is so high because it is calculated for every car that is not compliant and with almost 500,000 vehicles involved, Volkswagen faces paying out billions of dollars.
The car company has stated that they are co-operating with the investigation and will recall the half a million cars to ensure that they comply with Environmental Protection Agency emission rules. The problem involves a defeat device that masks how much toxic material is emitted by the engine when it is being tested but doesn’t operate during normal use. This allows the vehicles to emit as much as 40 times the level of pollutants that would normally be allowed.
“Put simply, these cars contained software that turns off emissions controls when driving normally and turns them on when the car is undergoing an emissions test,” Cynthia Giles, an enforcement officer at the EPA, said.
