Volkswagen AG Clean Diesel cheating 'a huge black eye'

[SlyPokerDog]

Volkswagen AG's admission that it cheated to make nearly half a million diesel cars appear cleaner-burning than they are leaves the automaker facing billions in fines, its executives risking criminal charges and its US expansion plans in peril.

VW admitted systematically cheating on US air pollution tests for years, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday in citing violations that could add up to $US18 billion in fines. The company said it has also heard from the Justice Department, which the EPA said could pursue criminal prosecution.

The German automaker has struggled to gain a foothold in the world's second-biggest car market with a strategy built in part on touting the efficiency of fun-to-drive "clean diesel" vehicles now shown to be anything but.

"It's a huge black eye for Volkswagen," said Matt DeLorenzo, managing editor for news at Kelley Blue Book in Irvine, California. Consumer Reports magazine reacted by suspending its "recommended" rating of two diesel models.

Diesel versions of the popular Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat comprise more than a quarter of the brand's sales in the US and are a vital part of the company's strategy for meeting tougher US fuel economy standards going into effect in coming years. More than other carmakers, VW has chosen to focus on diesel technology instead of electrics or hybrids.

"They were counting heavily on diesels to meet the fuel-economy numbers," DeLorenzo said. "This brings that whole strategy into question."

Defeat device
Volkswagen admitted it sold 2009-2015 diesel Volkswagen and Audi cars with software that turns on full pollution controls only when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, the EPA said, calling the algorithm a "defeat device." During normal driving, the cars pollute 10 times to 40 times the legal limits, the agency estimated.

http://www.afr.com/business/transpo...sel-cheating-a-huge-black-eye-20150919-gjqlp1

 

[julius]

Those damn Krouts!

 

[MarAzul]

.

Right now the EPA's standards are farce were Diesel engines are concerned. Especially the standards for small diesel engines like the kind used in boats or a small automobile. The only ones that will pass are turbocharged.
Turbo will not run at slow rpms with out loading up and becoming a fuel hog and worse polluter than the naturally expired engines. So people have to buy this government interferance and then have the engines converted to natural.

This sort of shit is way out of bounds and need to be stopped immediately.

 

[MarAzul]

Those damn Krouts!

I see you missed the real culprits again.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Good, hope they sell less cars here. I hate working on them. I suspect or hope some of the things they do when they design these things are for ease of manufacturing.

They seem to otherwise just try to outdo other engineers by making things more complicated than needed.

We could bolt the door handle in like a Toyota, one that a mom could remove if given simple instructions and one or two tools. ORRRRRRRRRRR we could design something a Nasa engineer would have trouble with that requires a 150 dollar special tool that is only for this one part.YEAH!!!!!!!

Those diesel Jettas are actually nice driving cars by the way. Torque in abundance.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

I know, it's the Krauts isn't it?

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Just as the R400 goes into production.

:-/

 

[BigGameDamian]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/time-to-buy-a-vw-191215457.html
Raindrops are seen on the badge of a diesel Volkswagen Passat in central London, Britain September 22, 2015. The scandal engulfing Volkswagen, which has admitted cheating diesel vehicle emissions tests in the United States, spread on Tuesday as South Korea said it would conduct its own investigation and a French minister called for an EU-wide probe. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Something is rotten in the city of Wolfsburg. But there may never be a better time to buy a car from the auto giant that’s based there.


Volkswagen, the world’s biggest automaker, suddenly needs a tow truck as it lurches through a surreal case of corporate cheating. The German car manufacturer apparently installed software on 11 million diesel-powered vehicles worldwide that disables pollution controls during ordinary driving, allowing toxic emissions far above allowable standards. The only time the pollution controls work is when the engine is hooked up to an emission-testing machine, which is surely one of the more diabolical innovations in automotive history.

VW can correct the software, but that may reduce the fuel economy and degrade the sporty performance of vehicles such as the turbodiesel (or TDI) versions of the Beetle, Golf, Jetta andPassat, which enthusiasts love for their muscular pickup, high mileage and long hauls between fillups. So far, the scandal has slashed VW’s stock price by 32% and blown about $30 billion off its market value. CEO Martin Winkerkorn is gone and the obligatory class-action lawsuits have already begun. Meanwhile, VW is prohibited from selling diesels in the United States until the government gives the okay.

That makes it a grim time for VW—but maybe a happy time for buyers who want one of its cars. Buyers shouldn’t expect to find fire sales at VW showrooms, but there may be selective discounts as dealer inventory piles up, especially if shoppers stay away. There are early signs that is actually happening. Research firm YouGovBrandIndex finds that VW’s reputational “score” has fallen to the lowest level in at least 6 years. And car-shopping site TrueCar says consumer searches are down 4% during the last week for Volkswagen cars in general, and 29% for Volkswagen diesels (which aren't for sale at the moment, anyway).

Since the scandal is only a few days old, there’s not yet any data showing whether transaction prices for Volkswagen models have fallen. But VW dealers clearly have a problem. Diesels account for about 22% of all VW sales in the U.S. market, and with those models off the shelf, inventory will pile up at dealerships. That could force dealers to unload other models just to make space in their lots for the vehicles they’re not allowed to sell. VW has offered dealers some financial help to weather the crisis, but the longer it takes VW to address the problem, the more likely discounts will become.

Prices and market share often dip during an automaker scandal—but not for long. Most of the big automakers have endured safety controversies or bouts of bad publicity during recent years—General Motors for defective ignition switches, Honda for faulty Takata air bags, Toyota for unintended acceleration—with surprisingly similar results. “The majority of recalls don’t have any statistically significant impact on market share or pricing over the long term,” says Eric Lyman of TrueCar. Car buyers tend to have short memories, and once a problem is solved, buyers return to showrooms.


VW’s cheating scandal may be different, for two reasons. First, it appears to be a deliberate attempt to deceive regulators and consumers, rather than an engineering or manufacturing mistake, which is much more common. “This is an unprecedented scandal in that there was manipulation and intent,” says Lyman. “That would seem to lend itself to negative consumer sentiment.”

Second, the diesels in question, once they’re modified, could basically end up as different cars, with less appealing fuel economy and performance. If so, many buyers will undoubtedly feel ripped off. Lemon laws in many states allow buyers to return cars that are defective in some way, but that often entails arbitration or a battle with the dealer. VW may consider measures making it easier for buyers to bring their car back and get a refund.

The most likely discounts will apply to VW’s new diesels, once they go back on sale, and to used diesels affected by the recall. Eric Ibara of car-shopping site Kelley Blue Book doesn’t think any price cuts will last for long. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there was initial softness in turbodiesels,” he says. “But it would be quite unusual if VW’s TDI values were to drop and stay down.”

VW’s gas-powered models aren’t affected by the stop-sale order on diesels. But if dealers have to discount those models to get buyers in the door, the best deals will probably be on the Tiguan andTouareg SUVs and on the CC sedan, which are older models already being discounted at many dealers. Web sites such as TrueCar, KBB and Edmunds typically monitor deals and track fair transaction prices based on make, model, trim line and options. If you finagle a price below the average for your ZIP code, mission accomplished.

A few VW models are still considered hot properties. The Golf and its forthcoming variant, the Golf SportWagen (it sounds more German if you pronounce the “w” like a “v”), are new for 2015 and widely praised as fun, refined and economical runabouts. And the feisty GTI remains a gearhead favorite. If the diesel controversy helps you save a couple thousand on one of those models, that may be a silver lining. At least for consumers.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Fucking disaster.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[andalusian]

A funny thing is - my wife drives a VW that is also an emission test defeating device.

BTW - I am not a fan of VW on general principle, but this car is just the nicest driving EV this side of a Tesla.

 

[BigGameDamian]

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/vw-diesel-owners-sticking-with-their-carsfor-now-143659711.html

VW Diesel Owners Sticking With Their Cars—For Now

Despite a week of bad news about fake emission controls in 11 million Volkswagen diesel cars, only a trickle of recalled Volkswagen diesels in the United States are getting the official heave-ho from their owners.

Yahoo Autos has tracked over 800,000 trade-ins at independent car dealerships throughout the country since January 2013. Our findings? Out of over 6,700 vehicles that were traded in this past week, only six were Volkswagen diesel models that are part of the current EPA emissions recall.

All six Volkswagens were Jetta TDI models out of a weekly total of 241 Volkswagens. To put this in perspective, the Volkswagen brand has averaged 215 trade-ins a week over the past three years with TDI models averaging only 4% of that total—slightly less than 9 vehicles a week. So while the number of Volkswagens traded in remains at elevated levels due to the recent scandal, it appears that owners of Volkswagen diesels are still holding on to their keys for right now.

The Volkswagen diesel scandal: Complete coverage

This isn’t surprising given that Volkswagen diesel owners are well known in automotive circles for their “keeper” mentality. It’s not unusual to see a properly maintained TDI model reach well in excess of 300,000 miles. As an added help, the enthusiast sites that support TDI owners are also among the most popular of their kind, which hashelped thousands of owners find unique solutions to complicated problems.

And the original selling points of the 482,000 recalled U.S. diesels—high fuel efficiency and 500 miles or more between fill-ups—haven’t been affected by the recall. The number may also be lower than usual because some dealers may be turning down TDIs as trade-ins, although one Virginia dealer has launched a buyback offer, essentially betting on the popularity of VW diesels rebounding.

However, while the company’s overall sales of diesels remained strong at nearly 23% of their monthly total last month, Volkswagen has failed to develop the software and components needed to legally sell TDI diesel cars in the United States. What makes matter worse for owners is that Volkswagen already failed to correct the emissions issue back in December 2014 with the cooperation of multiple American and international agencies. Despite the recent admission of Volkswagen of illegal and allegedly criminal behavior, over 11 million owners throughout the world now find themselves with vehicles that may be deemed illegal.

VW has vowed to make the recalled cars legal; doing so may require modifications beyond software that would cut the range, efficiency or power of the engines. It will be interesting if Volkswagen can find the special ingredients needed to maintain their loyal audience, or whether continued failures at finding a solution to the emissions problem will have long-term repercussions for Volkswagen and their owners.