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Volkswagon Deliberately Violated Clean Air Laws, EPA says

September 20th, 2015  |  Canadian Business

Volkwagon is facing up to $18 billion in fines and a public relations black eye after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated the automaker had rigged emissions tests for 500,000 of their diesel powered vehicles.

THE EPA has ordered all 500,000 vehicles fixed after it was revealed that VW intentionally programmed the cars to turn on full emissions control systems when they were being tested.  Once the testing was done, the controls would remain off in normal driving conditions.

The EPA stated that the vehicles were emitting close to 40 times the national standard for nitrogen oxide, linked to asthma and lung illnesses.

Of the 500,000 vehicles, all of them were built within the last seven years and include the Jetta, Passat,  Beetle, Gulf and Audi A3 diesel-powered models.

 VW had originally advertised these diesel versions as being better for the environment than their competitors.

Since Friday’s announcement, VW’s public image has suffered and their stocks plunged 20 percent with the opening of today’s German markets.

Martin Winterkorn, VW’s CEO, apologized for the deception in a statement issued over the weekend, "I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public."

It is unclear what the impact will be for Canadian vehicles and Environment Canada is in discussions with the EPA “to further examine the issue and assess potential implications”.

VW Canada has stated they will fully comply with any decisions made by Environment Canada.

Image Courtesy of Adobe Stock