Germany Wants 'Unannounced' Emissions Tests

Dobrindt explained, "There will be controls on vehicles in the style of doping tests (for athletes). Unannounced and every year. Randomly selected vehicles, for example, from car rental companies could be tested for emissions." He further suggested the aforementioned proposal would need custom testing facilities that will allow the government to measure actual emission levels.

The German government has faced increasing pressure to rein in the alleged violations after Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, admitted to cheating U.S. emissions tests. While VW's 'cheating device' affects up to 11 million diesel vehicles across the globe, Europe has been affected most severely. The number of VW Group's vehicles with emissions-cheating software is over 8 million, while that in the U.S. is 482,000.

Also Read: Volkswagen Passat GTE Plug-in Hybrid: All You Need to Know

VW said only a small group of employees was responsible for cheating on U.S. diesel emissions tests and that there was no indication of board members being involved. Dobrindt told Bild, "I expect Volkswagen to fully disclose the procedures that led to the manipulation."