Dealers: VW has emissions-cheating fix
Executives told them mileage may not be affected
DETROIT — Volkswagen’s plan to fix most of its 2-liter diesel engines that cheat on emissions tests includes a computer software update and a larger catalytic converter to trap harmful nitrogen oxide, and it may not hurt mileage or performance, according to dealers briefed by executives on the matter.
Limited details of the plan were made public last week at a regional dealer meeting in Newark, N.J., by Volkswagen of America Chief Operating Officer Mark McNabb, said dealers, who asked not to be identified because the plan hasn’t been made public.
One dealer said the group was told that early testing of a small sample of repaired cars showed that the fix Volkswagen of America official Mark McNabb revealed the fix last week, dealers say. made “no discernible difference” in the cars’ mileage, horsepower or torque.
Both dealers said they were told that more testing was needed and that the plans still had to be ap- proved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.
If the fixes don’t hurt performance and mileage, that could be a big boost for Volkswagen, which last month agreed to spend up to $15.3 billion to settle consumer lawsuits and government allegations that its diesels cheated on U.S. emissions tests.
Even with the fixes, the VWs won’t fully comply with clean air laws because the cars were built to defeat the tests. The fixes must cut emissions by at least 80 percent, and VW must pay to mitigate any excess pollution.
At the time the settlement was announced, no fix was available, but the dealers said that VW appeared close to submitting one.
Both dealers said the fix was revealed by McNabb under questioning from Northeast region dealers toward the end of a fourhour meeting July 15. The meeting was held to discuss how VW would implement the buyback and repair plan and included plans to have company representatives handle paperwork.
The news gave hope to the dealers, who have had to make do with a lack of new vehicles and have seen U.S. sales decline since VW admitted cheating on the tests in September of last year.
So far this year, VW brand sales are down nearly 15 percent even though the overall market has grown 1.5 percent.
One of the dealers said the so-called “Generation 1” diesels — about 325,000 VW Jettas, Golfs, Passats and Beetles from the 2009 to 2014 model years — would get new software and bigger catalytic converters in January or February of next year. About 90,000 “Generation 2” Passats already have sufficient emissions systems and would get only a software update early next year. Another 67,000 “Generation 3” 2015 models would get software in October and would get additional hardware a year later, the dealer said.
Getting the fixes through the EPA and California regulators could still be a problem. The agencies in January rejected a fix for the 2-liter engines, and last week they turned down a plan to fix 85,000 vehicles with 3-liter diesels that also cheat on emissions tests.