Volkswagen recall to start in January and could be over by the end of 2016

The car manufacturer said the fix could be as simple as changing the software in affected cars

Matthais Mueller, the new VW CEO, said that only a few employees had been involved in the scandal

Volkswagen said that it will start a recall of diesel cars carrying the controversial defeat devices will start as early as January.

The car manufacturer said the fix could be as simple as changing the software in affected cars – which are still deemed roadworthy – and that all cars should be fixed by the end of 2016. It previously said that 11 million diesel cars are affected, with some 1.2 million of these believed to be in the UK.

In an interview announcing the recall, the new chief executive of Volkswagen, Matthais Mueller, added that only a few employees had been involved in the scandal – despite the fact that false readings given by emissions software came to light in an employee memo that was ignored as early as 2011.

The company will stand up in Congress on Wednesday to address the emissions scandal. Sales of diesel VW cars have already dropped by a third in the US, according to some estimates.

Volkswagen said it would put aside €6.5 billion to cope with the costs of the crisis. But the damage to its reputation will be harder to quantify in the longer term.