VW diesels sell out fast after return to market
Sitting since 2015, tainted vehicles receive software fix, writes
Wanna buy a new 2015 Volkswagen diesel?
That’s a trick question. Even though the vehicles at the centre of one of the largest controversies in the history of the automotive industry were released for sale on April 12, they’re already long gone. The 2.0-litre TDIequipped vehicles had been quarantined after Dieselgate, the worldwide emissions-cheating scandal that brought the German automotive giant to its knees.
Since the discovery VW had been intentionally futzing with the pollution-control software on many of its diesel cars since 2009, North American owners spent more than a year in limbo, awaiting settlement options for their tainted vehicles. When finally announced, those settlements were generous. Depending on the age and condition of their vehicles, owners could see compensation that amounted to either a fix plus a payment of between $5,100 to $8,000, or a buyback based on the value of the car pre-scandal, plus that payment.
In the meantime, inventory already on dealer lots was frozen. With the announcement of an approved fix, those impounded cars were cleared for sale. It’s a move a lot of people were betting on, and a local dealer told me the 43 cars he had in stock were gone in a couple of days.
“Most of those cars had deposits on them all this time,” explained Sean McLaughlin, business manager at Roseland Motors Ltd. in Burlington.
“Some may have been speculators, but most are loyal VW customers.”
The released cars came with a good wallop of incentives for buyers willing to head back into the diesel waters. Take the 2015 Passat TDI, for example. Dealers were authorized to give buyers zero per cent financing for 60 months plus $7,500 finance cash, or up to $9,500 cash. If you bought one, I hope you worked the deal, hard.
What if you had an affected car and have already taken the VW money? Are you allowed to double dip? Indeed. They’re two separate transactions, according to Thomas Tetzlaff, manager of public relations for Volkswagen Canada. McLaughlin agrees, pointing out most of those 2015s went to longtime customers.
The newly released cars already will have had the first of the two-phase fix done to them, a software reflashing that Volkswagen Canada says goes most of the way to correcting the emissions problem.
Should you have been rushing to purchase one of these cars? Or be disappointed that you missed the lottery? That depends.
The Automobile Protection Association (APA) reminds you to keep in mind these vehicles are two years old, and in some cases older. They’ve been stored in anticipation of the court rulings and, while they may look like new cars with zero kilometres on them, consumers should be aware there could be latent problems if they were not cared for properly. Tires can develop flat spots (and those tires have also had their lifespan used up, even sitting), brake lines could become corroded, and they’ve been subject to the elements.
“The APA’s position is that the settlement offer is a good one, and consumers are well served by taking advantage of it and moving into a new car of their choosing, or another VW gasoline engine,” says John Raymond of the APA.
Those consumers are falling into three categories: those who ditch their diesels for the cash, those who accept the “sorry” cash and get their cars fixed but keep them, and a few diehards who will not surrender their beloved TDIs at all.