GERMANY'S FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE office has reportedly urged Volkswagen to set a timeline before Oct 7 for the upgrade of its diesel cars to meet the national pollution standards. Volkswagen sparked global outrage last week when it admitted cheating on pollution by installing software in 11 million diesel cars that allowed them to pass emissions tests in countries like the United States. Comments:

Of course, Volkswagen deserves to be condemned and should pay a hefty fine in the US, because it used trickery to meet the environment-friendly emissions standards. However, the green emission standards should be used for civil rating, not as a mandatory certificate that decides the future of a carmaker. Enterprises pursuing higher standards of environmental protection should strike a balance between the two and let consumers decide the value of a product without concealing its flaws.

Beijing News, Sept 28