California orders VW recall of 3-liter diesel engines

Adding the larger engine to VW’s recall will compound problems for the automaker, which said in early November that the 3-liter engine used in some Porsche, VW and Audi vehicles didn’t have a software cheat like the smaller 2- liter engine did.

The company reversed its position in a meeting between the state and Audi executives, who said that the engine did have an undisclosed software mechanism to meet emissions standards.

The German automaker has been negotiating with the authorities on details of a plan to deal with 482,000 diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. that used deceptive software to duck emissions requirements for the 2-liter engine.

VW submitted a recall plan to California and federal regulators Nov. 20 covering models with the motor.