The next chapter of the VW emissions scandal is unfolding with VW, Audi and Porsche discontinuing sales of certain models equipped with 3-litre V6 diesel engines in the U.S. and the reveal that Carbon dioxide emission figures might also be rigged.
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The company has been unable halt the flow of bad news since the scandal broke September 18, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Volkswagen had installed software on 482,000 cars that enabled them to cheat on emissions tests for one pollutant, nitrogen oxide.
The admission added new dimensions to a crisis that had focused on how VW cheated in United States tests on diesel cars for emissions of nitrogen oxide, which causes smog.
VOLKSWAGEN said on Tuesday it found data “inconsistencies” on carbon dioxide emissions for 800,000 more cars, the latest sign of trouble for Europe’s biggest automaker, already reeling from an emissions scandal.
In its report, the EPA specifically mentioned models including the 2015 Porsche Cayenne; the 2014 Volkswagen Touareg; and 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L, and Q5. The production and sales of the 2014-2016 diesels Cayenne SUV has also ceased.
The announcement came after the German automaker revealed Tuesday it had understated the carbon-dioxide emission from 800,000 vehicles.
Volkswagen has so far written off €6.5 billion ($7.05 billion) for the 11 million vehicles affected by the NOx emissions issue. Previously, the carmaker estimated it would need to recall 11m vehicles worldwide – more than Volkswagen sold a year ago.
Volkswagen may be disputing the EPA’s latest findings, but it has admitted to additional issues that go beyond diesel vehicles and affect gasoline-powered cars. A Volkswagen spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the emissions-control devices in question were “permissible software”. The majority of the affected vehicles were sold in Europe, and no recalls in the USA are expected.
VW said it will fully support the investigation.
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At the same time, Audi and Porsche have responded to new claims test-defeat devices were used on their vehicles by ordering a halt to auto sales in the US. If VW was cooking the books to show higher mileage and lower emissions than what you’d actually get in real-world use, it could be on the hook for a few huge regulatory fines.
