80% of public think Volkswagen isn’t the only car maker to cheat emissions tests
Car makers across the industry could be seeing brand perception affected by the Volkswagen emissions scandal after a Which? survey found that eight in 10 people anticipate more manufacturers to be drawn in.
It has been a month since news first broke that Volkswagen had rigged emissions tests for its ‘clean diesel’ engines, sending shares plummeting and its own brand trust metrics hit a low. It has since emerged that as many as 11m of its diesel cars worldwide are believed to be affected with at 1.2m coming from the UK.
However, the fallout has spread beyond customers known to be affected and people want action from government, including an independent review, to ensure it can’t happen again, according to Which?
From the survey of over 2,000 people (1,600 of whom were car owners), 19 per cent thought the government has put in place a clear action plan in place. More than three quarters said ministers should now ensure that new tests are brought in as soon as possible on both fuel emissions and fuel economy (78 per cent).
Meanwhile, 82 per cent want an investigation which is conducted independently any car manufacturers.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said the findings reaffirm the lack of trust in the industry and support its own calls on government to set a timetable outlining when UK consumers can expect preliminary and final conclusions from an independent review.
“This scandal has rocked the motoring industry and public trust has been badly shaken. The public are rightly demanding answers from the government,” he said.
“We’re calling on the government to quickly put in place an independent investigation and to ensure that consumers are not left out of pocket.”
Volkswagen has recently set up what an ‘integrity board’ to deal with the fall out and put in place a new strategy after it was forced to cull its annual investment spend by one billion euros in anticipation of a potential $18bn fine.
The renewed strategy will see it focus heavily on establishing its environmental credentials as it pins a turnaround on creating best in class electric cars and clean exhaust emission systems.