The California Air Resources Board and the EPA “will continue to investigate and will take all appropriate action”, the federal agency said in its statement. In addition, VW specifies these clients purchased a vehicle equipped with an engine belonging in a niche market compared to Europe where more than 50% of new cars sold are diesels.
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“During a meeting yesterday, VW and Audi officials told EPA that the issues EPA identified in the November 2nd NOV extend to all 3.0 liter diesel engines from model years 2009 through 2016”.
In the meantime, Audi spokesperson Brad Stertz said the company has admitted that it failed to advise the EPA on the extra emissions control equipment.
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller says the company’s board has chose to reduce capital expenditures by 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) in 2016 as it deals with the fallout of its emissions-rigging scandal.
The new report expanded the number of VW, Audi and Porsche 3.0 liter luxury cars involved in the problem to about 85,000 in the United States alone, compared to 10,000 in initial estimates. He said the company agreed with the agencies to reprogram it “so that the regulators see it, understand it and approve it and feel comfortable with the way it’s performing”. Volkswagen has stopped selling all of the diesel cars that have been accused of including defeat-devices, which include the 2015-16 Volkswagen Touareg, 2014-16 Porsche Cayenne and the 2015-16 Audi A6, A7, A8 and Q5, among other models.
“This scandal presents an opportunity to bring solutions to those who are suffering the most from dangerously dirty air”, Kennedy said.
Audi of America is following its parent company’s lead and is offering a “goodwill package” to owners of the Audi A3 equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI engine.
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“The most unfortunate aspect of this whole situation for Volkswagen is they have to start the healing process and the repairing process for their brand, and you can’t do that while the scandal is still growing”, USA Today quoted analyst Karl Brauer as saying.
