Volkswagen’s popular diesel powered cars is one reason why the VW brand has challenged Toyota this year as the world’s most popular car manufacturer. But this status is down the tubes because it was caught installing software in its cars that cheated and fooled EPA emissions tests to get passing marks.
This revelation shocked the European car industry, not to mention VW’s U.S. stocks plunging a whopping 20 percent in midday trading today.
A possible 11 million VW cars may have this code installed and the German car manufacturer has confessed and says it will take steps to right these wrongs.
The Great HoaxBefore Volkswagen finally admitted guilt, for over a year VW was stalling the EPA and claimed that the numbers it reported were accurate and that any discrepancies in real world testing were the result of “technical errors,” and not a deliberate attempt to falsify data.
But the EPA and the California Air Resources Board persisted and found that the amounts of nitrous oxide, emitted by VW’s diesel engines were far above the norm, even after re-calibrating testing instruments to insure accurate measurements.
Stanley Young, spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board remarked:
“They basically ran out of excuses “They would say the tests weren’t at the right temperature, or some other issue. We had them in several times.”
After more pressure and proof that VW tests were substantially inaccurate from these two agencies, VW finally admitted that it had purposely installed special software on its diesel engine cars to specifically deceive testing routines.
“We Screwed Up”The news of VW doctoring a possible 11 million cars, worldwide, to pass emissions tests was addressed by Michael Horn, head of Volkswagen in the United States. He said, with clarity that:
“Our company was dishonest with the EPA and the California Air Resources Board, and with all of you, and in my German words, we have totally screwed up.”
This “screw up” could possibly cost VW $7 billion in recall fixes, not to mention fines that may be levied against the company for willful deception and falsification of emissions tests.
Everyone Is Suspect NowWith the unveiling of VW’s scam, other car manufacturers are now going to be looked at more closely for cheating EPA emissions tests. But VW is now the prime target and will be targeted by the EPA.
Gina McCarthy, an administrator for the EPA said:
“We are not going to sit down around and worry about whether or not there are other devices. We’re going to find it. So right now we’re upping our game in terms of going out and doing the work to take a look at what we need to do with other vehicles.”
Source:
The Washington Post