Volkswagen could face $18bn fine over secret device that 'intentionally cut emissions'

www.telegraph.co.uk...

US charges Volkswagen with making vehicles designed to evade government pollution controls
US regulators have charged Volkswagen with manufacturing vehicles designed to evade government pollution controls, and said the German auto giant should urgently fix nearly 500,000 cars.
Volkswagen could face an $18bn penalty over the software made to meet clean-air standards during official emissions testing but which would intentionally turn off during normal operations, US and California regulators said.

As a result, the diesel cars emit greater-than-allowed quantities of pollution linked to smog and various health ills.
"Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean-air standards is illegal and a threat to public health," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Both the EPA and the California Air Resources Board have launched investigations into the matter. The EPA also referred the case to the US Department of Justice.
Potential civil penalties under the Clean Air Act could be as much as $37,500 per car, or more than $18bn.

The allegations cover 482,000 diesel models of Volkswagen Jetta, Beetle and Golf for 2009-2015 and the Audi A3 for the same years.
The action also affects the Volkswagen Passat for 2014-2015.
The EPA said it is "incumbent on Volkswagen to initiate the process that will fix the cars' emissions systems".

18 billion.... This is why many car makers don't sell cars in the US because of the danger you get fined like crazy...

Personally I think it's just a way to hurt foreign competition, look how they fined Toyota before and other foreign car makers.
Sure GM also got fined but that is like peanuts compared (only a 100 million fine), even when that fault killed hundreds of people!

I wonder if VW would pay such a big fine and surely other foreign car makers should think twice for bringing their cars on the market in the US. And many for this reason bring not their cars out on the US market.
But this seems to be trend that somehow the US government can fine foreign company's like crazy and still can get away with it.

That's why the EU would be foolish with adopting this Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) where they can sue EU company's like crazy.. if the EU is still blind and doesn't see the danger still... it will be a hard wake up call for sure IMO.

Or maybe VW shouldn't have done what they did and they wouldn't possibly have to pay as big a fine..

America, responsible for every bad thing ever in the history of the world..

a reply to: Pluginn
Gm has to pay only 99 million for killing 124 people and now they want Volkswagon to pay in the billions for evading a regulation? sounds about right. SMH.

originally posted by: opethPA
Or maybe VW shouldn't have done what they did and they wouldn't possibly have to pay as big a fine..

America, responsible for every bad thing ever in the history of the world..

Don't you think it's EXESSIVE though?

I have an idea, instead of paying the government 18 Billion how about giving away 18 billion dollars worth of automobiles to poor families so they can get back and forth to work?

I mean we all know, how well the government spends other peoples money, and frugal is one of the last words that I would think of?

Come on! Look at the banker bail out.....

a reply to: opethPA

Well, 18 billion.. is outrages.

Sure VW is at fault but this seems just like collecting some easy money and on the same time taking out foreign competition.

a reply to: Pluginn

Did you even read your own article? It says 'could face' and 'potential fines'.

Well I guess our government figured, hell Germany economy isn't in a freefall so we could sue them for whatever amount we want, I'm sure they could afford it!

a reply to: Pluginn
OpethPA is right. IF this is true, maybe VW should have considered this possibility ahead of time. Don't get too wound up though. VW will not be paying 18 billion in fines. That's just the media sensationalizing the story.

a reply to: Pluginn

Meh, regardless, if you don't have enough money to be extorted you go to prison. IF you do have enough money? We will gladly take it off of you and no one will do any time or have a criminal history.....The bankers know how to do it!

Government! The new MAFIA.......

a reply to: Klassified

Ok that's true... but if so it makes you think.

Look how EU banks bought those fake products from american banks rated AAA, after EU banks got in huge problems, even many EU country's which where downgraded afterwards (since their debts grew saving all those EU banks), so they even got in worse problems.

And Greece with the help of Goldman Sachs made a deal so it could join the EU...
www.spiegel.de...

But instead of US banks gotten sued by the EU many EU banks got fines from the US instead!
Sure some US banks as well but they don't come near just some random links:
www.euractiv.com...

www.zerohedge.com...

Also not forget all the spying on EU country's and EU has given access to all money transfers going on in Europe against the fight of terrorism..

Can come up with many more examples but maybe I see more things than there are but if I was the EU, they should stop sticking their heads in her ass (it will cost allot and it stinks lol).

Anyways so when I read a story as this again I just see it as an attack on the EU economy.. but yea that would be just a conspiracy, nobody going to belief that!

Okay great, 18b is excessive..still the only person or business to blame for this is VW.

Don't want to risk an excessive fine then how about you don't try and cheat the system.

a reply to: Pluginn

VW should just reclassify them as 'light trucks' and they would slip under the EPA's radar.

a reply to: Pluginn

Personally I think it's just a way to hurt foreign competition

That's rich...Volkswagen screws us over by polluting our air and it's the U.S.'s fault. Go find another country to bash.

a reply to: donktheclown

Lol polluting your air, if there is 1 country with the biggest and most polluting cars and the least fuel efficient cars it's the US.
VW cars are the most fuel efficient cars you can find, diesel cars easily have 90 mpg and the latest VW diesel hybrids even 256 mpg.

But such a fine (if it would be really that high) could VW put out of business surely in the US, good change they would stop selling cars on the US market.

a reply to: Pluginn

"Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean-air standards is illegal and a threat to public health," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What is this "device"? Is that something the end user employs to stop reburning of emissions and make the engine last longer?

Get higher horse power and longer engine life, longer between tune ups, less carbon in the engine and Cat (if thats whats up).

Mega coprs create many more emissions than little Veedubs do. Either that or they just want to drive down competition for auto sales.

Edit:

Oh…

"Only then did VW admit it had designed and installed a defeat device in these vehicles in the form of a sophisticated software algorithm that detected when a vehicle was undergoing emissions testing," the EPA said.

Not sure how a "software algorithm" is equated with "a device"… could be they don't want to say so people don't go out and buy a widjit?

a reply to: intrptr

Seems like some software yes which sees when it undergoes testing and changing some parameters so everything seems fine. VW makes the same engines for many cars and different brands (Volkswagen, Audi, Bugatti, Ducati, Škoda, Seat, Bentley, Porsche) in many many different country's, I think they find some difficulties using the same engines in the US with their standards. And I don't think they can fix this problem... otherwise they would have done so..

This is why many EU car makers and other foreign car makers don't sell their cars for the US market, it's really hard to get everything right with US regulations (which are way different then anywhere else) and the change of getting huge fines if something is found.

EPA and the California Air Resources Board

Those 2 names should have alarm bells ringing in VW heads. They screw up every thing they touch, but expect everyone else to be perfect... and if you're not......$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

VW did NOT have a device that did this. It was part of the primary ECU, and the programming could sense when the vehicle was being tested and would adjust the system to reduce emissions.

Get the facts straight, PLEASE!

a reply to: Pluginn

Lol polluting your air,

What the hell is funny? Yeah, our air. So we have rules about pollution control requirements, and you find it fine to blame us when Volkswagen supposedly fabricates a system made to avoid those standards? That doesn't seem right to me.

a reply to: Pluginn

Right.
Up to $18B in fines because the EPA is having a hissy fit with a German carmaker.

But when GM KILLED over 100 people with their lousy ignition switches, just $900 million.

Killing people = $900 M
Pissing off the self-important EPA = $18B

Riiight!