GENEVA, (MILLAT/APP/AFP) – Volkswagen is on track
for dealing with the recall of cars involved in the “Dieselgate” emissions scandal but, longer-term, needs to regain the trust of its customers, its chief executive Matthias Mueller said Tuesday.
His comments came as the EU and European consumer protection agencies hiked pressure on VW to fully compensate European clients over the affair.
The Dieselgate scandal erupted in September 2015 when VW admitted it had installed so-called “cheat” software in 11 million diesel-engine cars worldwide.
The device reduced emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides when it detected the vehicle was being tested.
Speaking to AFP at the Geneva Motor Show, Mueller said he was buoyed that the company had raced back into the black last year, despite the so-called Dieselgate scandal, with car-sales hitting an all-time high.
Profits at VW reached 5.1 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for 2016, after a stinging 1.6-billion-euro loss in 2015.
Volkswagen even became the biggest brand in car sales in volume terms, overtaking Japan’s Toyota.
“2017 should be a very good year,” Mueller told AFP.
“We are trying to put the diesel crisis behind us and regain the confidence of our clients,” the Volkswagen CEO added, in a sombre suit and tone of voice.
The group expects this year’s figures to be boosted by the arrival of the upmarket five-door Arteon, unveiled at the Geneva show.
The European car market as a whole notched up strong growth in 2016, with passenger car registrations climbing by almost seven percent. This year the market is expected to be flat, said Mueller.