Pires de Lima said that he had already raised the issue with Autoeuropa who had affirmed that “the vehicles produced in Portugal in recent years did not incorporate this fraudulent kit.”
“I have every reason to believe in Autoeuropa,” the minister added.
The German car manufacturer has admitted that 11 million of its diesel cars sold worldwide were fitted with software to ensure they dodged pollution testing.
“I did not seek reassurances from the board of directors of Volkswagen in Germany because frankly I do not believe they are in a position to reassure anybody,” said the minister before stressing that he did not want to “generate unease” around an industrial project that was “highly important to Portugal.”
Pires de Lima concluded that the authorities were studying the mechanisms in effect for vehicle pollution testing and their results in general terms: “We shall soon see what comes out of these inspections.”