THE Australian arm of Volkswagen paid a large dividend of $12.3 million to its parent in March this year after profits jumped 72per cent, but its 100-plus car dealers remain in the dark about how many of the 50,000 diesel models sold here since 2009 may be impacted by the emissions scandal.
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The payout represented almost all of its VW Australia’s annual profits from a business which generated revenues of $1.72 billion in calendar 2014, and was more than four times the size of the dividend paid by the Australian arm to the German parent 12 months earlier, accounts filed with the corporate regulator show.
It comes as the body which oversees the interest of 7 million motorists, the Australian Automobile Association, called on the company to urgently clear up the uncertainty surrounding diesel models sold in Australia and for tougher regulations to be put in place to prevent a repeat of the situation.
AAA chief executive Michael Bradley said the United States had specific emission regulation standards that prohibit the use of ‘‘defeat’’ devices which were tougher than a set of United Nations standards that apply in Australia.
‘‘This may be an appropriate time for the government to review the regulations used in the Australian market are sufficient to ensure such an event could not occur here,’’ he said.
The AAA is the umbrella body for state-based road motorists organisations such as the RACV in Victoria, the NRMA in NSW and the RAA in South Australia.
Mr Bradley says the car company needs to act quickly.
‘‘It would be very concerning if a major manufacturer was found to be misleading the Australian public in such a way,’’ he said.
VW and its sister brands of Audi and Skoda have a dealer network of more than 100 outlets but they are still waiting on fresh information from corporate offices in Sydney and Germany.