Volkswagen is now being forced by the German government to recall 2.4 million diesel cars that were rigged to defeat emissions tests, Reuters reports. Transportation minister Alexander Dobrindt said during a press conference in Dublin that the recall campaign will start in January under the supervision of federal regulators.
Initially, Volkswagen offered affected owners to have their vehicle fixed on a voluntary basis, but authorities have rejected this option, instead forcing the automaker to repair all diesel cars equipped with special software designed to bypass emissions rules.
There are eight million such vehicles in Europe, and 11 million worldwide.