India orders fresh check of Volkswagen emissions

The Indian government has sought a report on the Volkswagen scandal and asked its auto authorization body to check on its cars in India.

The German carmaker is caught in the biggest scandal in its history after a revelation that it used software in the US that allowed it to manipulate emission results for its diesel cars.

Volkswagen faces a fine of over $18 billion, and its chief executive officer, Martin Winterkorn, resigned on Wednesday.

According to reports, the German government has said that Volkswagen had manipulated emissions in Europe as well.

The Indian government, taking note of the charges, has asked the Automotive Research Association of India to check whether the same concerns are relevant for Volkswagen in India.

"We are studying the matter ... if there are any regulatory issues here, they are looked at and plugged," heavy industries secretary Rajan Katoch was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying.

The German auto major had admitted to the irregularities concerning software used in diesel engines in "some 11 million vehicles worldwide".

The allegations against Germany's largest car maker were first raised by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which last week ordered the recall of nearly half a million diesel cars fitted with a device that allowed cars to pass emission control tests by showing much lower levels of pollution than in ordinary use. The cars could detect emission control tests and lower their emission levels.

Because of the manipulation, it remained hidden that the emission levels of diesel cars were 40 times higher than the level of pollutants allowed in the US.