PoloDriver

In addition to the huge 11 million cars confirmed so far for recall following Volkswagen’s global ‘dieselgate’ ‘emission-cheating’ software fiasco, the company confirmed today that the 1.2-litre TDI ‘EA111’ engine can also be added to the blacklisted ‘EA189’ series of 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre TDI units.

Found in versions of the fifth-generation Polo ‘6R’ built from 2009-2014 – the environmentally-aimed BlueMotion is one of particular note – in the UK, Europe and selected global markets, the three-cylinder 1.2 TDI was also fitted to certain SEAT Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and Roomster models. Like the well-documented EA189 family, it features software to reduce emission levels under certain test conditions.

Remedial work
As with other models so affected, Polos with the 1.2-litre TDI engine will be recalled in January, with the timeframe for the remedial work expected to take up to a year. Concerned Polo owners in the UK can check if their cars are affected by visiting the online Volkswagen Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) checker. In the UK, the 74bhp 1.2-litre TDI was fitted to 91g/km BlueMotion and 102g/km ‘Match’ models.

The full list of affected Volkswagen Group (Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles) cars can be found here. VW has admitted that cars fitted the Euro 5 emission standard EA189 range of engines are fitted with what the motor industry is calling a ‘defeat device’ which gives lower NOx (nitrogen oxide) emission levels under test conditions.