May 9 (UPI) — German officials opened a new investigation into an Audi diesel emissions software — almost three years after parent company Volkswagen acknowledged its role in a software emissions scandal.
Germany’s Transport Ministry told CNN on Wednesday that the country’s motor vehicle authority has opened its formal investigation based on suspicion Audi installed illegal emissions software into the 60,000 cars recalled Tuesday.
The German automaker owned by Volkswagen Group recalled its luxury A6 and A7 luxury vehicles Tuesday due to irregularities in the diesel engine management software.
Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said in a release that the irregularities were discovered through “systematic engine testing program,” and were reported to the Federal Motor Transport Authority immediately.
Audi halted delivery the affected cars and phased out the impacted models, according to a release from the German automaker. Customers who had already ordered the models were notified.
The models will receive a software update.
Of the 60,000 affected cars, none was in the United States, the release said.
In 2015, Volkswagen admitted it fitted 482,000 U.S. cars and 11 million cars globally with software allowing the vehicles to cheat emissions tests.
Last Thursday, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment that said former Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn will face conspiracy and wire fraud charges for the German company’s 2015 emissions scandal.
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