The chief executive of Volkswagen apologized on Sunday for what he said was a breach of trust that resulted in the company's being accused by the United States authorities of illegally installing software in its diesel-power cars to evade standards for reducing smog.<br />"I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public," Martin Winterkorn, the chief executive of the German automaker, said in a statement.<br />The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Volkswagen to recall nearly half a million vehicles, and the company could face billions of dollars in fines.<br />Mr. Winterkorn said the company would "cooperate fully" with the authorities and order its own independent investigation into the accusations.
