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NewsDay

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Zim vehicles safe – Volkswagen

Business
CFAO Motors Zimbabwe group marketing manager Lindsay Ehrich has assured local owners of Volkswagen vehicles that they will not be affected by the recent worldwide recall of VW vehicles

CFAO Motors Zimbabwe group marketing manager Lindsay Ehrich has assured local owners of Volkswagen vehicles that they will not be affected by the recent worldwide recall of VW vehicles following an emission scandal involving “defeat device” software.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

Ehrich said the engine makes in Zimbabwe are safe but the company would work to restore confidence in its brand.

“The recall does not apply to Zimbabwe, and will, therefore, not impact our Zimbabwean customers directly. Their vehicles remain unaffected, they are safe and roadworthy. With the Zimbabwean market not facing a recall, the impact on the brand is not going to be felt as severely as in other world markets,” she said.

“However, regaining the trust of our customers and that of the public will be our top priority. We will do everything that we can to fully regain the trust so many people put in the Volkswagen brand.”

This comes as the motor giant reportedly announced plans to recall 8,5 million vehicles in light of the company’s emission scandal.

CFAO Motors are the licensed distributors for the brand and have since January 2015 sold 11 vehicles on the local market and command a 0,4 % market share in the total retail industry.

The discrepancies in the Volkswagen vehicles relate to vehicles with Type EA 189 (EURO 5) engines mostly passenger vehicles, which are not found on the Zimbabwean market.

“Volkswagen is working intensely to eliminate these discrepancies through technical measures, and the company is, therefore, in contact with the relevant authorities and the German Federal Motor Transport Authority,” Ehrich said.

“Volkswagen currently has not specified which models and years of construction are affected, but will provide further information as soon as possible.”

In a statement on the Volkswagen website last month when the scandal broke out, the motor giant said it had conducted an internal evaluation that showed approximately five million Volkswagen passenger cars were affected worldwide.

“All new Volkswagen passenger car brand vehicles that fulfil the EU6 norm valid throughout Europe are not affected. This, therefore, also includes the current Golf, Passat and Touran models,” read the statement.

By September 2015, total industry volume sales were 2 773 units, with September alone accounting for 269 units.