While the alternative exhaust control device fitted to the 3.0-liter TDI violates US law, Audi – whose ad slogan is, ironically, “This is Truth in Engineering” – points out that it’s legal in Europe but executives failed to properly notify regulators of its existence.
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Volkswagen AG’s emissions scandal is still widening more than two months after its cheating became public, undercutting the carmaker’s argument that only a few rogue engineers knew of the manipulations.
“The Volkswagen Group of America, or VW, submitted a recall plan to the California Air Resources Board, ARB, responding to the violations described in ARB’s September 18, 2015 letter to VW concerning illegal defeat devices in their 2-liter diesel-powered vehicles, model years 2009-2015”, the board said in a statement posted on its website. Details are being finalized on a software fix for 1.2-liter motors.
Under European emissions tests there is no provisions, as far as we can work out, for a “real world” NOx emissions level, so the only thing that matters is what a auto emits during testing, even if that in no way represents its real emissions and is achieved artificially.
The EPA and CARB held a meeting with VW to discuss the company’s plans for the more than 482,000 2-litre cars that have illegal software that allow them to evade emissions standards.
In its earlier statement, the EPA listed the 2014 Volkswagen Touareg, 2015 Porsche Cayenne, along with the Audi A6 quattro, A7 quattro, A8, A8L, and Q5 from model year 2016, as the models affected. According to the agencies, one of the three devices qualifies as a defeat device, she said.
It may also scrap plans for a paint factory in Mexico where it produces Beetle, Jetta and Golf models.
The automaker has set aside more than $7 billion to cover the alterations, but the AP reports the total cost could be several times higher – and Volkswagen is also facing the possibility of billions of dollars in fines.
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CEO Matthias Mueller at today’s press conference: “Anything that is not absolutely necessary will be cancelled or postponed”. As the same time, the manufacturer’s sales are under pressure, falling last month particularly at its Volkswagen brand. Volkswagen declined to comment.
