Lawyers Say More Cars Could Be Involved In Scandal

Revelations on this evening’s BBC Panorama that Volkswagen (VW) may have also cheated official European emission tests could mean that millions of other cars are affected, say specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

VW confirmed in September that it had rigged emissions tests in the US by installing software within its diesel vehicles to provide more positive results, with chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigning as a result of the concerns.

In the UK, VW is preparing to recall almost 1.2 million vehicles including over 500,000 cars and 80,000 commercial vans. 390,000 Audis, 132,000 Skodas and 77,000 Seats will also be included.

So far it has been unclear as to whether VW has used the same tactics to cheat tests in the UK, but Panorama's results suggest that it did.

Specialist consumer and product liability lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have so far been contacted by more than 1,800 people regarding the VW scandal.

They have already warned that the legal consequences could be catastrophic for the company and believe that this latest revelation could mean that millions of more cars are affected.

The defeat device is a programme in the car's computer that cuts nitrogen oxide (NOx) gas pollution by recognising that it is being tested in a laboratory.

Panorama tested a VW Passat Blue Motion diesel in an accredited testing laboratory in the Czech Republic which uses the same regulations and rules that are used in the UK.

During the test, the car emitted 167 mg/km of NOx gases under test conditions and met the Euro 5 limit of 180 mg/km. When it was tested again but under different conditions, the car emitted 435 mg/km of NOx.

Visit Irwin Mitchell's specialist page to find out about making a claim.