Audi says 2.1 million diesel cars affected by emissions software

Audi AG said 2.1 million of its diesel- powered cars, including best-sellers like the A4 sedan and Q5 sport utility vehicle, are equipped with software implicated in an emissions-testing scandal that has engulfed parent company Volkswagen AG.

“We’re working at full speed to find a technical solution,” said Juergen de Graeve, a spokesman for Ingolstadt, Germany- based Audi. “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 Mueller on Friday as its new chief executive officer, following a tumultuous week in which the Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker admitted to rigging some diesel engines to cheat on U.S. emissions tests. The revelation cost the company 20 billion euros ($22.4 billion) in market value and prompted CEO Martin Winterkorn to step down. With many car components including engines shared across brands that include Seat, Skoda, Porsche and Audi, 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, the TT roadster and the Q3 and Q5 SUVswith 1.6-liter and 2-liter diesel engines, de Graeve said.

Of the 2.1 million autos, 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 Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, sold 1.74 million vehicles in 2014.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 7:34 AM with the headline "Audi says 2.1 million diesel cars affected by emissions software."