Things continue to get worse for Volkswagen. Last week the auto manufacturer revealed that it discovered faulty emissions readings in gasoline-powered vehicles. Now a report from German paper Bild am Sonntag sheds more light onto this latest discovery.
According to Reuters, engineers from the auto manufacturer came forward, admitting that they falsified carbon dioxide emissions data in order to meet then-CEO Martin Winterkorn's lofty target marks.
"Employees have indicated in an internal investigation that there were irregularities in ascertaining fuel consumption data. How this happened is subject to ongoing proceedings," Said the Bild report.
Last Tuesday, the company admitted that 800,000 cars had 'unexplained inconsistencies' with regards to their CO2 emissions.
"...during the course of internal investigations irregularities were found when determining type approval CO2 levels. Based on present knowledge around 800,000 vehicles from the Volkswagen Group could be affected. An initial estimate puts the economic risks at approximately two billion euros." Reads the official press release.
"The Board of Management of Volkswagen AG will immediately start a dialog with the responsible type approval agencies regarding the consequences of these findings."
According to Bloomberg, the Volkswagen's Polo, Golf and Passat models are affected as well as Audi's subcompact A1 and A3 hatchback models.
Company CEO Matthias Mueller said:
From the very start I have pushed hard for the relentless and comprehensive clarification of events. We will stop at nothing and nobody. This is a painful process, but it is our only alternative. For us, the only thing that counts is the truth. That is the basis for the fundamental realignment that Volkswagen needs."
This is the latest development in a scandal that continues to worsen. Last week, it was discovered that several diesel-powered Porsche and Audi models were also outfitted with fraudulent emissions systems.