VW expects to start a recall of cars affected by its emissions scandal in January, the car giant's new chief executive, Matthias Mueller, has said.
All affected cars will be fixed by the end of 2016, he told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Only a few employees have been involved in the scandal, he added in the interview.
Europe's biggest carmaker has said emissions test-cheating software is present in 11 million diesel vehicles.
The firm would also look into its various brands and models, singling out Bugatti, its supercar marque.
Earlier, Mr Mueller told employees at VW's Wolfsburg home plant in Germany the firm is facing changes that "will not be painless."