Volkswagen has just apologized after getting caught red handed for a serious emissions scandal in India. The company admittedly expressed that their emissions were 1.1 to 2.6 percent higher than they should be. Since then, CEO Matthias Müller has expressed something of a fundamental redirection of the company towards electric cars.
VOLKSWAGEN ATTEMPTS TO WIN BACK TRUST AFTER SCANDAL
With their backs against the wall, Volkswagen has no other option but to reevaluate their direction. The first step in this process was admitting their faults to the world, which they have recently addressed. Apparently, their cars now operate under the legal emission regulations in Inda. However, just following the rules was not enough for the German car makers. Volkswagen released a statement saying they plan to have all of their cars in India updated with EA 189 Engines, this will effectively put them on the same level of European cars in terms of cleanliness.
ELECTRIC FUTURE SLATED FOR 2020
Volkswagen has widely used this scandal as an opportunity for reevaluation. Call it good public relations if you’d like, but in front of a sea of world leaders and politicians, they made their claim. By 2020, Volkswagen hopes to release 20 plug-in hybrid cars and EV models in an effort to keep Europe relevant in the ever-changing market. VW’s excuse to why this hasn’t happened sooner was related to Europe’s infrastructure, which was deemed unfit.
NEW ‘PHAETON’ WILL LEAD THE WAY IN ELECTRIC CHANGE
Volkswagen CEO of passenger cars introduced a new MEB Modular Toolkit. As part of the reorientation program, this toolkit will include plug-in hybrid and standardized electric powertrains. Leading the way will be their Phaeton model. This will be a full-electric, luxury car with long range capability and connectivity. The Phaeton will serve as a role model for a new, full range of vehicles with ranges of 185 miles. The MEB toolkit will allow the company to use electric technology across every vehicle type and body style that VW offers. As well as increasing their electric lineup, this new strategy aims to make VW much more cost-efficient. Considering they have been caught in the U.S rigging emission statistics and now in Inda, it would be in VW’s best interest to follow through with these changes.
