India terms Volkswagen diesel emission scam as 'well thought-out crime', says it violated norms to the extent of 8-9 times of the current levels

The adage ‘One thing leads to another’ holds true in the case of Volkswagen and due to this other auto makers will also come under scanner.

After the German auto maker recalled 3, 23, 700 vehicles in India, the Indian government said that all diesel passenger vehicles in the country will come under scanner in coming six months.

So much so that all diesel vehicles coming in India will also be checked whether they were complying with the norms or not.

The Indian government termed Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scam as a 'well thought-out crime'.

"The violation was detected when the on-road vehicles were tested. It is a well thought-out crime," said Union Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete.

Volkswagen Group had recalled vehicles in India across three brands -- Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen -- after a government-ordered probe found the group using diesel engines equipped with a defeat device that helps cheat emission tests.

“ARAI found that Volkswagen violated emission norms in India to the extent of 8-9 times of the current levels,” said Geete, adding that his ministry is referring the matter to Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to take action against the company.

"From the end of this month, we will start testing all passenger diesel vehicles in India to estimate whether they have committed emission violations. The process of testing diesel passenger vehicles by ARAI will be completed in six months," said Additional Secretary in the Heavy Industries Ministry Ambuj Sharma.

When asked if Volkswagen will face any penalty or action, he said MoRTH will take a decision on the matter in a couple of days.

"We have referred the VW issue to MoRTH to decide on the penalty aspect under MVA and CMVR provisions. They will also decide in one or two days whether sales by Volkswagen should be halted till it completes the recall process," Sharma said.