About a month ago, Volkswagen's world was rocked by allegations that it had understated the CO2 emissions of several brand new cars. After the TDI scandal, it seemed like the final nail in the coffin, but it's not.
The company treated this as a huge problem because every time you would open one of its videos or press releases, a message popped up saying the fuel consumption numbers are probably wrong. But today, the German firm released its findings, and the issue is nowhere near as serious as originally thought.
Every model believed to have CO2 figures that are too low was tested. Only nine specific units were discovered to have problems amounting to a few grams per kilometer. VW will let an independent organization re-test these nine cars, but says the deviations it discovered were minute, corresponding to increased cycle consumption in the NEDC of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 liters per 100 kilometers.
Also, the original approximation of 800,000 cars placed under suspicion was a gross exaggeration, as the nine models represent 36,000 cars produced per year or around only 0.5 percent of the volume of the Volkswagen brand. Audi, Skoda and SEAT will also test corresponding vehicles, but it's clear that we are not looking at a multi-billion lawsuit.
Volkswagen disclosed these issues on its own accord, and based on the fact that Renault and Opel cars have been accused of the same issues, we don't expect European governments to take drastic action.
The list of cars affected is short, but very specific:
These model variants will be re-measured by a neutral technical service under the supervision of the appropriate authority by Christmas. In cases where the correctness of original figures is confirmed, there will be no consequences as they can still be sold by private individuals and dealerships. If the increased emissions result in higher taxes, Volkswagen will pay them.
Every model believed to have CO2 figures that are too low was tested. Only nine specific units were discovered to have problems amounting to a few grams per kilometer. VW will let an independent organization re-test these nine cars, but says the deviations it discovered were minute, corresponding to increased cycle consumption in the NEDC of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 liters per 100 kilometers.
Also, the original approximation of 800,000 cars placed under suspicion was a gross exaggeration, as the nine models represent 36,000 cars produced per year or around only 0.5 percent of the volume of the Volkswagen brand. Audi, Skoda and SEAT will also test corresponding vehicles, but it's clear that we are not looking at a multi-billion lawsuit.
Volkswagen disclosed these issues on its own accord, and based on the fact that Renault and Opel cars have been accused of the same issues, we don't expect European governments to take drastic action.
The list of cars affected is short, but very specific:
- Polo 1.0 TSI BlueMotion 70 kW with DSG
- Scirocco 2.0 TDI 135 kW with 6-speed manual
- Jetta 1.2 TSI 77 kW with a 6-speed manual
- Jetta 2.0 TDI 81 kW with a 5-speed manual
- Golf Convertible 2.0 TDI 81 kW with a five-speed manual
- Golf hatch 2.0 TDI 110 kW with a six-speed manual
- Passat Alltrack 2.0 TSI 4Motion 162 kW with DSG
- Passat Variant 2.0 TDI 4Motion 176 kW with DSG (yes, that's the bi-turbo)
- Passat Variant 1.4 TSI ACT 110 kW with a six-speed manual
These model variants will be re-measured by a neutral technical service under the supervision of the appropriate authority by Christmas. In cases where the correctness of original figures is confirmed, there will be no consequences as they can still be sold by private individuals and dealerships. If the increased emissions result in higher taxes, Volkswagen will pay them.