The California Air Resources Board, commonly known as CARB, rejected Volkswagen Group of America’s submitted recall plan for its 2.0-liter diesel vehicles on Tuesday, citing insufficient details in its plan as the reasoning behind its rejection.
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It said it would continue its investigation as well as talks with VW to find a suitable solution.
“Today’s announcement addresses the initial recall plans Volkswagen submitted to CARB in December”, VW said in an emailed response to the announcement.
VW chief executive Matthias Muller is meeting with US Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy on Wednesday to discuss the emissions scandal that involves almost 600,000 vehicles in the US and up to 11 million vehicles worldwide. In other words, Volkswagen failed to specify whether the fix to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions would impact the car’s gas mileage or its projected lifespan.
The company’s recall plan for 2.0-litre diesel engines covers 500,000 vehicles.
As reported by German daily Bild am Sonntag and translated by Reuters, the device would fix those cars with a first-gen EA 189 diesel engine, found past year to be capable of cheating emissions tests.
Volkswagen may buy back tens of thousands of cars with diesel engines that can’t be easily fixed to comply with USA emissions standards as part of its efforts to satisfy the demands of regulators, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The rejection doesn’t rule out an eventual recall plan for owners of the 75,688 affected 2.0-liter diesel cars in California.
Dressed in a gray suit over a light blue shirt and a tie with polka dots, the CEO, speaking English, announced a major overhaul of the internal culture of Volkswagen and promised a strategic recovery plan for the “summer”.
The state did not assess any immediate penalties, but it issued a new notice that VW had violated California air quality regulations.
Volkswagen’s plan to address the Dieselgate scandal in the US just hit a wall. This week, we have been working with [US mediator] Kenneth Feinberg to develop a swift, fair and independent program, which will provide a comprehensive remedy for our customers.
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In a statement, VW said it was continuing to work with both state and federal regulators and the rejection of its recall plan Tuesday did not mean a recall would not occur.
