The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has rejected Volkswagen Group’s recall plan for the 3.0-liter diesel vehicles equipped with emissions-cheating devices, according to a letter sent to the German automaker this week.
According to CARB, Volkswagen’s submissions are “incomplete, substantially deficient and fall far short of meeting the legal requirements to return these vehicles to the claimed certified configuration.”
Directly addressed to David Detweiler, Volkswagen’s executive vice president and general counsel, and Stuart Johnson, Volkswagen’s general manager, the letter specifically states that the recall plan fails to do the following:
- Adequately describe the nonconformities and undisclosed AECDs/defeat devices on the affected vehicles;
- Sufficiently describe the remedial procedure for affected vehicles;
- Provide a meaningful estimate capture rate in California;
- Specify the system by which VW will ensure the availability of sufficient repair parts to institute the proposed fixed;
- Contain the impact of proposed fixes on fuel economy, drivability, performance and safety;
- Describe the impact of repairs on emissions, particular average noncompliance emission levels, average emission reductions per pollutant, and an average emission level after proposed fixes;
- Demonstrate how the proposed fixes are designed to correct the nonconformities;
- Provide onboard diagnostic system demonstration data;
- Demonstrate how the plan is designed to correct the nonconformities in an expedious manner; and
- Provide sufficient details for CARB to evaluate the feasibility and success of the proposed plan.
The vehicles with the affected V-6 engine include the Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5 and Q7 models; the Volkswagen Touareg TDI; and the Porsche Cayenne Diesel.
“CARB, in conjunction with EPA, will continue the on-going technical discussions with VW and Audi to evaluate their proposals through the enforcement action process to ensure a legally acceptable and expedited resolution to this matter,” the letter concludes.
As previously reported, Volkswagen agreed to provide a 15.3 billion settlement in response to its diesel emissions cheating scandal and announced its intentions to expand its investment in electric vehicles. More than 30 battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) are expected to launch over the next 10 years, and BEV sales are expected to reach between 2 million and 3 million units in 2025.
