VW publicly admits wrongdoing in emissions scandal

“Representatives of our group have admitted that illegal devices are installed in our vehicles and that already paves the way for legal action," he said.

Müller used words like "clarity" and "transparency" when talking about the results of the internal audit aimed at getting to the bottom of the scandal. David Margulies, a crisis communications consultant, doesn’t think VW’s leadership has gone far enough.

“The best way to deal with something where you’ve really made a mistake is to unequivocally say, we screwed up," he said. "It tends to end the controversy.”

VW did say that all future admissions tests will be evaluated externally and independently. Executives also said they will be ready to answer more questions next month at the Detroit Auto Show.