Volkswagen Cleared to Sell Fixed Diesel Cars in US
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cleared Volkswagen to sell fixed diesel vehicles in the U.S.
The German automaker hasn’t been able to sell a diesel-powered car in the U.S. since it admitted to cheating on emissions tests in 2015. It has now received approval from the EPA to sell 2015 model year diesels after updating the vehicles’ emissions software. The fix will also include changes to the diesel engine hardware, but dealers do not have to wait until the repair parts become available next year.
SEE ALSO: European VW Owners Claim Diesel Fix is ‘Ruining’ Their Cars
While reviving diesel sales is part of Volkswagen’s recovery efforts as a result of the scandal, the big question that remains is how many consumers are still interested in buying Volkswagen diesel vehicles, especially older 2015 model year cars. There’s also the reports that European Volkswagen owners are saying the diesel fix is “ruining” their cars, so it’s possible they don’t perform as advertised. It appears Volkswagen will also have the option to sell repaired vehicles that it bought back from owners.
[Source: Automotive News]
Discuss this story on our Volkswagen Forum
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
More by Jason Siu
Comments
Join the conversation
"Theres also the reports that European Volkswagen owners are saying the diesel fix is 'ruining' their cars, so its possible they dont perform as advertised." Important distinction: any fixed Euro VW diesels seeing this are not equipped with urea SCR. The 2015 North American VW diesels, however, are. Speaking as an engine engineer, properly sized and calibrated urea SCR is really your only diesel vehicle option for meeting NOx emissions regulations without degrading performance. In some cases, SCR can even improve performance as compared to outgoing models because previously used (and performance robbing) NOx mitigation strategies like delayed injection timing, reduced compression ratio, and high exhaust gas recirculation rates no longer have to be so heavily relied upon.
Jason Siu: If you're going to write editorials, please post them in the op-ed section I'd rather not have true-believer climate change articles put up as fact. I have a master's degree in climate science, and unlike many of the climate scientists out there, I don't have to shade my facts to receive a salary from those who want to increase or decrease the effect of CO2 on the climate. I have been involved in the development of 3 computer models (2 on climate, 1 on blood flow in the heart), and I *guarantee* that I can tweak a model to get any result desired...so don't put such blind faith in the doomsday predictions based almost entirely on the current models.