Volkswagen AG\u00a0said it found faulty emissions readings for the first time in gasoline-powered vehicles, widening a scandal that so far had centered on diesel engines. Separately, the company\u2019s Porsche unit said it\u2019s halting North American sales of a model criticized by U.S. regulators.<\/p>\n
Volkswagen said an internal probe showed\u00a0800,000\u00a0cars had \u201cunexplained inconsistencies\u201d concerning their carbon-dioxide output. Previously, the automaker estimated it would need to recall 11 million vehicles worldwide — more than Volkswagen sold last year.<\/p>\n
The crisis that emerged after Volkswagen admitted in September to cheating U.S. pollution tests for years with illegal software has shaved more than one-third of the company\u2019s stock price and led to a leadership change.\u00a0Today\u2019s revelation adds to the pressure on Volkswagen\u2019s new chief executive officer, Matthias Mueller.<\/p>\n
Most of the affected cars are in Europe and the 2 billion euros in possible costs are an initial estimate, according to the spokesman. The automaker will determine how much money to set aside once the probe has been finalized, he said.<\/p>\n
The EPA said its new investigation centers on the Porsche Cayenne and VW Touareg sport utility vehicles and as well as larger sedans and the Q5 SUV from Audi.<\/p>\n
But then late Tuesday, Porsche\u2019s North American division said it would voluntarily discontinue sales of diesel-powered Cayennes from model years 2014 to 2016 until further notice. The Atlanta-based unit\u2019s statement reiterated that the EPA notice was unexpected and that owners can operate their vehicles normally.<\/p>\n
Mueller has pledged to overhaul the company\u2019s corporate culture, which he said must change to create a more transparent environment that can discover possible faults.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a painful process, but it is our only alternative,\u201d Mueller said in an e-mailed statement. VW \u201cdeeply regrets this situation\u201d and \u201cwill stop at nothing and nobody\u201d to get to the bottom of the matter, he said.<\/p>\n
The scandal has weighed heavily on Volkswagen\u2019s earnings. The automaker reported its first quarterly loss last month in at least 15 years because of the reserve funds set aside to implement fixes.<\/p>\n
Volkswagen AG\u00a0said it found faulty emissions readings for the first time in gasoline-powered vehicles, widening a scandal that so far had centered on diesel engines. Separately, the company\u2019s Porsche unit said it\u2019s halting North American sales of a model criticized … Continue reading ![\"Fixing](\"http:\/\/www.w-t-w.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Fixing-VW-300x234.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"