02/10/2015 10:37
Cyprus remains in the dark regarding the size of the problem with diesel engines of cars manufactured by Volkswagen.
The number of cars affected by the "sinful" software of the company, which falsified the results of emission controls, reaches 11 mn worldwide.
In addition to Volkswagen vehicles diesel engines of Audi, Skoda and Seat cars are also affected.
As announced about 1 mn vehicles are affected in France and around 1.2 mn in the UK.
In Cyprus the competent authorities have so far failed to detect the size of the problem.
The Unicars company which is the Volkswagen representative in Cyprus is expected to inform the Ministry of Transport within the next few days on how the parent automaker in Germany is going to react.
The company has said that it will replace the software on all vehicles that are affected.
The Director General of the Ministry of Transport Alecos Michaelides told StockWatch that the competent authorities are monitoring events and a letter was sent to the Volkswagen importer in Cyprus to this end.
Mr Michaelides said that there is also contact with the European Commission by which instructions are expected. The Commission said last week that investigations to identify problematic vehicles should be undertaken by the Member States.
According to yesterday's publication of the Financial Times, the European Commission and competent authorities in several EU Member States were not applying new strict guidelines banning the use of the software with the problematic parameters in emissions measurement.
"We expect both the parent automaker and Unicars to ensure that any diesel vehicles of this company that are on the Cypriot roads bearing this software, will be equipped with additional components that the parent company seems to develop according to information " Mr. Michaelides noted.
The road transport department, according to its director Sotiris Kolettas, does not have specific information on the number of vehicles that may be affected.
“Representatives in Cyprus may have this information" Mr. Kolettas observed, noting that" there is a possibility that the software which is causing the problem has not been installed on some vehicles with a diesel engine”.
He added that Unicars reassured that it will restore any potential problems found in diesel vehicles without any cost for the owners.
The Cypriot government has recently awarded Unicars a tender for the purchase of 30 Volkswagen diesel vehicles for the members of the cabinet and other government officials.
The Ministry of Transport, according to Mr. Michaelides, has sent a letter to Unicars asking that these vehicles are only received after independent experts certify that they do not have the software in question. He estimated that there will be an official announcement by the parent company in the coming days to resolve the problem and restore the software.
The installation of a software by Volkswagen to make diesel cars emit lower pollutants in official tests than on the street led the Executive Director of the company Martin Winterkorn to resignation last week.
The number of cars affected by the "sinful" software of the company, which falsified the results of emission controls, reaches 11 mn worldwide.
In addition to Volkswagen vehicles diesel engines of Audi, Skoda and Seat cars are also affected.
As announced about 1 mn vehicles are affected in France and around 1.2 mn in the UK.
In Cyprus the competent authorities have so far failed to detect the size of the problem.
The Unicars company which is the Volkswagen representative in Cyprus is expected to inform the Ministry of Transport within the next few days on how the parent automaker in Germany is going to react.
The company has said that it will replace the software on all vehicles that are affected.
The Director General of the Ministry of Transport Alecos Michaelides told StockWatch that the competent authorities are monitoring events and a letter was sent to the Volkswagen importer in Cyprus to this end.
Mr Michaelides said that there is also contact with the European Commission by which instructions are expected. The Commission said last week that investigations to identify problematic vehicles should be undertaken by the Member States.
According to yesterday's publication of the Financial Times, the European Commission and competent authorities in several EU Member States were not applying new strict guidelines banning the use of the software with the problematic parameters in emissions measurement.
"We expect both the parent automaker and Unicars to ensure that any diesel vehicles of this company that are on the Cypriot roads bearing this software, will be equipped with additional components that the parent company seems to develop according to information " Mr. Michaelides noted.
The road transport department, according to its director Sotiris Kolettas, does not have specific information on the number of vehicles that may be affected.
“Representatives in Cyprus may have this information" Mr. Kolettas observed, noting that" there is a possibility that the software which is causing the problem has not been installed on some vehicles with a diesel engine”.
He added that Unicars reassured that it will restore any potential problems found in diesel vehicles without any cost for the owners.
The Cypriot government has recently awarded Unicars a tender for the purchase of 30 Volkswagen diesel vehicles for the members of the cabinet and other government officials.
The Ministry of Transport, according to Mr. Michaelides, has sent a letter to Unicars asking that these vehicles are only received after independent experts certify that they do not have the software in question. He estimated that there will be an official announcement by the parent company in the coming days to resolve the problem and restore the software.
The installation of a software by Volkswagen to make diesel cars emit lower pollutants in official tests than on the street led the Executive Director of the company Martin Winterkorn to resignation last week.
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