VW Faces $17B Fine for Emissions Scam

	model	Nov_15	Oct_15	Sep_15	Aug_15
1	Cayenne Diesel	176	356	276	288
2	Cayenne S E-Hybrid	121	126	70	83

• 17 MPG - Cayenne Turbo ($113,600)
  
• 20 MPG - Cayenne S ($74,100)
  
• 22 MPG + 10 miles electric - Cayenne S e-Hybrid ($76,400)
  
• 23 MPG - Cayenne Diesel ($61,700) sales stop Nov. 3, 2015

Just pointing out:

1. If you're buying a car 4x the price of POS gasser, saving fuel is just an option.
2. At this level, the 'hybrid premium is $2,300 / $74,100 ~= 3.1%.
3. Power premium is $39,500 / $74,100 ~= 53.3%
4. Diesel discount is $12,400 / $74,100 ~= -16.7%

Source: Porsche issues stop-sale on Cayenne Diesel in US

As reported yesterday, the ongoing Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal has expanded to the VW Group's 3.0-liter TDI V6 engines. The Environmental Protection Agency's finding implicate many engines used by Audi and Porsche, including Porsche's only US domestic market diesel offering: the Cayenne. And after putting two and two together, Porsche has issued a stop-sale on its US-market Cayenne diesels.

Porsche's statement is terse. They refer to the EPA's findings as "unexpected," and stress that its stop-sale order is "voluntary." . . . ​

Who knew the cheat software had virus-like qualities.

Bob Wilson

 

I checked the local Porsche dealers and it's like they never existed.

 

total sales being such a small number, 'tidy' doesn't even begin to describe it.

 

Right. TDI has very long exhaust pipes leading to the moon, I guess. LOL

 

Source: IF You Were In Charge Of VW, How Would YOU Rebrand The Company? Das Auto, No More... - AutoSpies Auto News

After what is likely to go down in history as one of the most significant automotive scandals of all time, it's become evident that Volkswagen has A LOT of work to do to save face.

This means the company is going to have start, essentially, all over again.

One of the first places this is apparent is with its public relations and communications department. This means that the company has to take the big bath, own up to its deception and rebrand the organization to attempt to move forward on an all-new foot. It's at least taken care of owning up to its faults, now comes the rebranding.

The first step in doing so is removing the slogan "Das Auto" that has accompanied the company's logo in recent years. It's a bit bold given the company's latest happenings, no? Arrogance doesn't tend to do too well after you've been caught lying.

According to reports, VW will be switching to the VW logo and then simply "Volkswagen" for its slogan. Not saying much, it's clear the company is about to get conservative with its next PR push.

Having said that, we're just a wee bit curious: IF you were in charge of Volkswagen, how would YOU rebrand the company? Do YOU have a slogan that's better? Would you take a different approach to move on from dieselgate?​

• Noch nicht tot
• Wir scherzten
• Kommt mit VW Hustenmittel
• Konzipiert für 12-jährige Kinder
• Top Gear Genehmigt
• Schmutzige Arbeit , aber jemand hat es zu tun
• Mehr bezahlen, um weniger zu erhalten
• Wir den Diesel getötet

Bob Wilson

 

Letter of response: http://greenlining.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/NGOResponsetoCleantechLtrProposingRemediesforVWDieselViolations121815FINAL.pdf

". . . use of defeat-devices in the roughly 50,000 light-duty diesel (LDD) vehicles in California. Each year these VW vehicles may have been emitting as much NOx as 1.9-2 million legally compliant cars . . ."​

Although appealing, one might suggest VW replaces all cheat-diesels with a fully compliant, VW vehicle. My problem with this is VW will simply provide the cheapest, marginally compliant vehicle but a big dose of VW resentment. It would poison their offering of compliant vehicles as these would be seen as the punishment they are.

No, the fair answer is a cold-cash, buy-back. I'm OK if VW wants to 'sweeten' the payment if applied to a VW product BUT cash 'washes clean' the association of punishment put upon honest VW products. Fair terms:

• $20,000 free and clear, buy-back - the cheat-diesels receive the 'clunker' treatment or exported.
• $20,000 + $5,000 if used to buy a compliant VW - there is no problem with gasser Jettas, do it.

Bob Wilson

 

There are two issues with that approach. It probably just results in moving all the VW excess pollution to other countries. It also overlooks that the money is probably just not there for such a massive cash and vehicle processing flow. (Where do you put the cars if there is no place to put them?) The logistics of such a big shift may actually not be feasible. Notice how long it took to correct the massive airbag problem and this part was a lot smaller than a whole vehicle.

I'm a much bigger fan of setting up the VW correction to actually solve the issue. Something like a annual fine for every non-compliant vehicle on the road for as long as they are on the road. This would incentivize VW to actually solve the problem to some extent. The trick is to generate the right economic pressure directed on a real solution.

 

India's top court bans new diesel cars in New Delhi | Daily ...

 

good on them. as india goes, so goes the world.

 

Well that pisses me off. Where is my Shiva?

Bob Wilson

 

VW drops "Das Auto", will probably replace it with "Das Polluter".
Report: Volkswagen Axes 'Das Auto' Motto - Motor Trend

 

das imbeciles.

 

Source: VW Buybacks, Payments For Hard-To-Fix Diesels Will Cost Billions

But for 325,000 VW Golfs, Jettas, and Beetles and Audi A3 cars without the SCR systems fitted, the prognosis is much grimmer.

Most analysts agree that the cost and complexity of retrofitting a urea tank, a different catalyst, and all the associated plumbing could exceed the value of cars that are now as much as seven years old.

Those cars, some suggest, may all have to be bought back and either destroyed or exported.

Using an average price of $15,000, that would cost $4.9 billion alone--before any civil or criminal penalties are levied.​

Of course, 'price is negotiable', which is why swapping a new for used is more affordable . . . without land shark fees.

Bob Wilson

 

honestly, billions aren't going to hurt one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world. much.
but they won't go quietly into the night, unless they come up with another scheme.

 

Technical video: Dieselgate: an analysis of VW's cheating firmware / Boing Boing

• Start to 40:00 - overview
  
• 40:00 to end - the technical details . . . most interesting.

Bob Wilson

 

uh-oh.

 

It should be noted that three diesel vehicles have been emissions certified by EPA and CARB since EPA issued the NOV to VW in September. All of these underwent additional emissions testing during the certification process to detect any "defeat codes" in the ECU software.

The most recent was BMW's X5 35d, which actually meets SULEV limits, even though it's "only" certified ULEV. The other two are the Nissan Titan XD and the GM Canyon/Colorado pickup trucks.

The VW issue shouldn't be extrapolated to all diesel vehicles currently on the market.

 

In fact the video in #1015 mentions it should be called "VWgate" and not "Dieselgate."

Bob Wilson

 

Let completely uncovered was the other two cheat curves. They uncovered the NDEC curves, but it is crystal clear two other testing regimes were also engineered to be cheated. Obviously one of them was the EPA cycle, but what is the third?

 

The names escape me but there were 3 EPA test and now 5 since 2008. One of the original tests was a cold soak urban; warm start urban, and a highway test.