The news agency said a manager within Volkswagen and an official close to the external investigation ordered by the automaker have revealed the multiple programs, which were developed for four different engine types.
Reuters reported that sources within Volkswagen and its ongoing investigation have said the automaker created multiple versions of its “defeat device” to cheat emissions tests.
If true, the multiple emissions programs could indicate a widespread cheating program — stretching nearly a decade — that could have needed funding to continue, which would be in stark contrast to the “rogue engineer” explanation offered by executives so far.
According to the report, diesel emissions experts said the automaker would have had to adapt its software for multiple versions of its engines, and for lean-trap nitrogen oxides filters (LNTs) and selective catalytic reduction systems.
Volkswagen of America chief Michael Horn admitted in his Oct. 8 testimony that cheat devices in the U.S. weren’t identical to the ones used in Europe, but didn’t elaborate.
“Since the standards are different, my understanding is that the defeat devices in those (European) cars are as well,” Horn said, according to Reuters.
Multiple versions and generations of software could potentially be damning for the company. If executives are implicated in the plot to cheat emissions tests, fines from governments could be significantly higher.
“The more higher-ups that are involved, the more the company is considered blameworthy and deserving of more serious punishment,” Brandon Garrett, a corporate crime expert at the University of Virginia, told Reuters.