The fallout from the recent EPA-Volkswagen diesel cheat scandal has been enormous, with new revelations emerging all the time. The latest in the Volkswagen TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) story that just keeps unwinding is this: Volkswagen has withdrawn its application to the EPA to have its 2016 diesel models certified.
The implications of this are massive, with CNET reporting that 2016 Volkswagen TDI models won’t be available at all in the United States, at least for the time being. Volkswagen is currently searching for a solution with the EPA, and pending that, the automaker could reapply for EPA certification, and begin selling diesel-equipped 2016 models.
One notable exemption is the Volkswagen Touareg TDI, which uses a 3.0-liter diesel that’s already passed EPA certification. The issue applies only to three generations of the 2.0-liter Volkswagen TDI engine.
Volkswagen last month admitted to using engine management software to “cheat” EPA emissions tests, by rigging its TDI engines to run a different engine management program when the motors were hooked up to testing equipment. CNET reports that actual Volkswagen TDI emissions might be as much as 40 times worse than what EPA tests had indicated.
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