VW Takes a Big Hit in the US
Published Date: 14th Jan 2016
Volkswagen Group AG has had proposals knocked back by Californian authorities.
US regulators have rejected Volkswagen's plans to recall those diesel cars fitted with devices designed to cheat emissions tests.
The California Air Resources Board (Carb) said the car-maker's proposals did not "adequately address overall impacts on vehicle performance, emissions and safety" and were not planned over a suitable or quick enough timescale.
They added that VW's planned fix was "incomplete, substantially deficient and falls far short of meeting the legal requirements".
The state of California has sent the company a detailed confidential letter outlining why the proposals have been rejected. It also reaffirmed its commitment to the on-going investigation into the scandal and its desire to talk with Volkswagen and find a solution.
"Volkswagen made a decision to cheat on emissions tests and then tried to cover it up," explained Carb chairman Mary Nichols.
"They continued and compounded the lie and when they were caught they tried to deny it. The result is thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide that have harmed the health of Californians. They need to make it right."
In response, Volkswagen had this to say: "Today's announcement addresses the initial recall plans Volkswagen submitted to Carb in December. 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 [Environmental Protection Agency]."
Despite not being huge for Volkswagen, the US market is proving difficult for the company in the wake of the scandal. Although only 600,000 of the 11 million cars affected worldwide were in the US, it was their authorities who first broke news of the emissions rigging scandal.
It is also where the first defeat devices were fitted after a push to sell more diesel vehicles in 2005 ended in engineers not having the time to properly develop engines that met strict Californian emissions laws.
