Audi said 2.1 million of its diesel-powered cars, including best-sellers like the A4 and Q5, are equipped with software implicated in an emissions-testing scandal that has engulfed Volkswagen.
“We’re working at full speed to find a technical solution,” said Audi spokesman Juergen de Graeve. “Once we have that solution, we’ll write to customers and we’ll upgrade the cars so that they’re within emissions regulations.”
Volkswagen chose Matthias Müller on Friday as its new CEO, following a tumultuous week in which the automaker admitted to rigging some diesel engines to cheat on U.S. emissions tests.
The revelation cost the company 20 billion euros (US$22.4 billion) in market value and prompted CEO Martin Winterkorn to step down. With many car components, including engines shared across Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda, Volkswagen said a total of 11 million vehicles – more than the company sells in a year – are affected globally.
The Audi models that need to be upgraded to meet emissions regulations include the A1, A3, A4, A5, A6 sedans and the TT roadster, as well as the Q3 and Q5 SUVs with 1.6- and 2.0-litre diesel engines, de Graeve said.
Of the 2.1 million vehicles, 577,000 are registered in Germany, 847,000 elsewhere in western Europe and 13,000 cars in North America. Audi, which is poised to lose its rank this year as the world’s second-biggest luxury carmaker to Mercedes-Benz, sold 1.74 million vehicles in 2014.
