The South Korean government Tuesday revoked licenses on 83,000 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles of 80 models in 32 variants that gained certification on falsified documents on top of 126,000 cars in November sanctioned for emission cheat to make nearly seven out of 10 cars sold in Korea since 2007 illegitimate.

It levied 17.8 billion won ($16 million) fine for 47 models in 24 types for emission test rigging while letting the automaker off for tampering with noise and other function standards due to absence of relevant rules.

The problem cars are banned for further sale, said the Ministry of Environment in the strongest-ever punitive action on a single carmaker.

The recent sanction applies to 32 types Audi Volkswagen Korea, German automaker Volkswagen AG’s Korean unit sold from 2009 to July 25 this year.

Among the vehicles, 14 variants of five types including Audi’s A6 3.0 TDI Quattro are either discontinued or no longer sold in Korea while the rest 66 models of 27 types have been sold until recently.

The carmaker were found to have submitted fabricated reports on emission test results for 24 types of its vehicles and on the level of noise for 9 types.

By engine type, 29 models of 18 types including 16 Euro6-certified cars and two Euro5 cars were diesel engine cars while 15 variants of 14 types were gasoline vehicles.

When adding 126,000 units of its cars that had their certifications canceled in November last year on charges of cheating emission tests with defeat device, total 209,000 units the German carmaker’s Korean outlet sold have been affected by the government’s punitive measures. It amounted to 68 percent of 307,000 units that the automaker sold in Korea from 2007 to this year.

The company apologized for the case and said it was sorry that the government has arrived on such strong conclusion in a statement it posted on its website. It added that it will come up with countermeasures after studying the decision.

The automaker plans to reapply for certifications after fixing problems as early as possible. It is also reportedly considering filing for injunction on the administrative action.

By Seo Dong-cheol

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]