Now however the Californian Air Resource Board has detailed the fix as “incomplete, substantially deficient and falls far short of meeting the legal requirements”.
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Volkswagen said “We are committed to working co-operatively with CARB and other regulators, and we plan to continue our discussions tomorrow when we meet with the EPA”.
The company’s recall plan for 2.0-litre diesel engines covers 500,000 vehicles.
“First, VW fails to describe the nonconformities in sufficient detail for CARB to adequately understand them in the context of the recall plans, in order to determine whether the proposed fixes are feasible or would remedy each of the nonconformities”, CARB stated in a public letter to VW. The CARB’s decision only applies to the 75,688 units affected that are in California, but the situation might not stay this way, as the Environmental Protection Agency took note of the Board’s decision and agreed with its conclusion.
CARB said on Tuesday Volkswagen’s proposals failed to address how the fix would affect the engine’s performance, emissions and vehicle safety. [Volkswagen] needs to make it right.
Regulators estimate Volkswagen sold 76,000 small diesel cars in California with the defeat devices and more than a half-million nationwide.
The rejection of Volkswagen’s recall plan is a setback, though may not preclude a final deal.
VW said in a statement that it is in current talks to find a solution – and said the rejection addresses the initial recall plans submitted to California in December.
The cheating software allowed VW’s cars to turn on its environmental protection systems while being tested, but switched them off during regular driving conditions.
Volkswagen shares rose ahead of a crucial meeting on Wednesday at which its chief executive will try to persuade U.S. authorities to accept a fix for hundreds of thousands of cars rigged to cheat diesel emissions tests.
Representative Tim Murphy, the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee’s investigations subcommittee that is conducting a probe of the VW scandal, said Tuesday that he doesn’t want penalties imposed that would endanger the company.
“We had the wrong reaction when we got information year by year from the EPA and from the [California Air Resources Board]”, Mueller said in an interview with NPR.
When asked if Volkswagen was remotely close to a plan that would satisfy the EPA, Grundler said he couldn’t give details about ongoing enforcement matters.
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The complaint also alleges VW had lied in its applications for the device to the EPA and CARB.
