Newly appointed CEO of Volkswagen group Matthias Mueller said in an interview with a German newspaper that the company would launch a recall for cars affected by its diesel emissions crisis in January and complete the fix by the end of next year.

"If all goes according to plan, we can start the recall in January. All the cars should be fixed by the end of 2016," Mueller told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports Reuters.

Muller told to the newspaper that only a few of the employees are involved in the emission scandal that severely hampered the reputation of the German automobile company.

"VW would have to become smaller and less centralised, adding that every model and brand would be scrutinised for its contribution to the company and singling out Bugatti", Muller added.

The new CEO said an evolution is what is required not revolution for VW to get back on the track, which is expected in the course of next two or three years.

In September, Volkswagen, the world's largest automaker by sales, fell into deep trouble when the US Environment Protection Agency said Volkswagen intentionally violated the Clean Air Act by using sophisticated software in its diesel-powered cars that detects emission testing.

The software switches on all the emission control systems of a vehicle while the test is going on, and switches off in real-world driving conditions, resulting in emission levels of up to 40 times over the permitted limits.

Also Read