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German regulator sets VW deadline

Plan in place by October 7 or get the NOxious cars off the road

Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority, KBA, has lost patience with scandal-plagued Volkswagen and has given it a deadline.

By October 7, the regulator says, Volkswagen has to submit its plan for bringing its cars into line with European emissions regulation – and this time, no cheating.

That's going to be a tough ask for VW: while the software that cheated on emissions tests will be easily patched, it can only be done with a big hit to the performance of cars on the road.

German tabloid Bild am Sonntag says the KBA says it's obliged “to call for the necessary measures to ensure that the manufactured vehicles are brought into line” with what's been approved for sale.

If KBA withdraws approval for the affected cars, they can neither be sold nor driven in Germany.

VW's brand chief Herbert Diess is cited in a company media release as saying the company is “working at full speed” on a technical solution.

During the weekend, allegations emerged that VW had been warned in 2007 and 2011 about its emissions practices.

The scandal, in which management software detected when cars using the EA 189 motor were undergoing an emission test and put the engines into a low-emission mode, has already cost VW boss Martin Winterkorn his job, leaving him struggling with a €3.2 million severance payment and a €1 million annual pension. ®

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