Volkswagen acknowledges slow-paced repairs on recalls; only 30 percent fixed so far

German car-maker Volkswagen has acknowledged that its efforts to rectify emission defects have been slow-paced with only 30 percent of its vehicles affected by the recall in India being sorted. This came after its shock admission of fitting a "cheat device" in some of its diesel models to manipulate the stringent emission test measures put in place.

In December 2015, Volkswagen recalled about 3.4 lakh vehicles that included models of Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. Citing the lengthy process it entails, the company said that once they got approval from the authorities in Germany, the updates were subjected to tests by the Indian authorities.

"All of this has been a lengthy process and that caused a delay," a spokesperson of the company told Press Trust of India.

At its headquarters in Germany, approvals have been granted for the engine updates of the affected model, which covers about 70 percent of the recalled vehicles. Approvals about other updates are in the process and this is expected to cover the remaining 30 percent of the recalled models.

The affected models were sold between 2008 and November 2015. Volkswagen also claimed that vehicles produced and sold in India after December 2015 have received updates approved by the ARAI.

Trouble for Volkswagen began in September 2015 after it was found cheating on the emission tests in the United States. Following the expose, the company came under the scanner across the globe and the matter was also investigated in India. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) then directed the company to recall 3.4 lakh vehicles including diesel cars that come fitted with EA 189 engines.