VW Faces $17B Fine for Emissions Scam

I'm wondering if our UK members, say @GrumpyCabbie, might have insights about whether the diesel-gate (not just VW) might have contributed to a desire to leave the EU?

Other EU members may also have insights to share?

The reason I ask is I get the impression the diesel manufacturers pretty well got the EU Commission to roll-back to Euro-5, weakened. Meanwhile, a couple of still air days and the cities begin banning cars including diesels. Seems like there may be some 'blow-back'.

Bob Wilson

 

I think it's more likely the migrant crisis.

General public here doesn't give a damn about diesel-gate, air is polluted because of all other things but our precious toys.

 

i read this morning that the london mayor wants out of the eu anyway, even though his buddy cameron just reaffirmed.

 

Good point. Tom Friedman of NYTimes was on CNN this weekend talking about (among other things) the risks to the EU being damaged by the refugee crisis. Time to solve that problem in Syria he figures.

 

Volkswagen’s Electric Shock - Bloomberg Gadfly

 

I like that Gadfly

 

VWgate has nothing to do with it. The migrant crisis has nothing to do with it. It's more to do with spending £billions into Europe, not getting a say, having unelected socialist politicians from ineffective countries in Europe saying what we can and can't do. Since the east european countries entered things got a lot worse and all they want is more and more money to pay for new roads at the expense of our own. The latest issue showed their true colours, though i guess it would be like turkeys voting for Christmas to expect otherwise.

At the end of the day we're spending £billions we can't afford and getting nothing back but whinging and moaning. The EU is dead or about to collapse. 40% of our trade goes to the EU but 60% of that is to Ireland, who despite past political isses (big understatement) still remain good friends. So we pay into Europe and get precious little back, yet we trade more and more with the global marketplace. You wouldn't pay to be a member of a golf club if there was a free one down the road and esp not if you were paying royally to be a member of your club, supporting poorer members with free membership and those same members, being a majority, then vote to increase your fees. It's a socialist mess - is there any other kind?

The UK has had a parliament for nearly 1,000 years and at the moment people don't have a say in what is dictated to us. The US wouldn't let Mexico vote laws on US citizens that only benefit Mexico. The socialist EU is an erosion of democracy - and not just for the UK. Such lack of any influence over it by voters across Europe will lead to extremist parties - as is being seen in Europe now. Just look how many Jewish families are fleeing as they can see how it's going.

​Jews are leaving France in record numbers amid rising anti-Semitism and fears of more Isis-inspired terror attacks | Europe | News | The Independent

The UK can see it. The crap countries in the east can't or don't want to and just want to take, take, take. Maybe they were so used to having Russia give everything to them in the old USSR days that they just expect to be looked after? Let them have it, but not at our expense. The UK can stand on it's own like Canada or Australia and trade with proper countries out there without paying £50billion a year to the EU just to receive imports of German cars, French wine and pave new roads in Slovakia or Bulgaria, whilst our own roads collapse.

Boris Johnson comes out in favour of the campaign for Britain to leave the EU | Daily Mail Online

Explaining his reasons in detail last night, he wrote: ‘We have given so much to the world, in ideas and culture, but the most valuable British export and the one for which we are most famous is the one that is now increasingly in question: parliamentary democracy – the way the people express their power.

‘This is a once in a lifetime chance to vote for real change in Britain’s relations with Europe. This is the only opportunity we will ever have to show that we care about self-rule.

‘A vote to Remain will be taken in Brussels as a green light for more federalism, and for the erosion of democracy.’

Boris Johnson the London mayor is no fool. His comments in the above link show that this is more about our democracy than migrants.

At the end of the day the UK voted for a trading community (the EEC) in 1975, not some federal monstrosity where the people have no say at all - that will lead to ruin - and it already is.

What would you do?

 

Screw smog-gate. Hell, VW can't even get the electronics right on their current gas and diesel cars...I know first hand. I'll probable stick with Toyota in the foreseeable future.

 

I hadn't considered it. Although we have our own Federalist and anti-Federalist advocates in a swinging balance that was last hit the stops in 1860. I understand the frustration and hope whatever happens it is done peacefully.

I have to admit I too thought it was a trade-zone. But it sounds like it has moved into an "Animal Farm."

Bob Wilson

 

Why was the vote last year so strong for the Conservatives while Cameron is ultra motivated to stay in the EU?

 

Back to the original subject: AD #1804 – Oil Prices Could Double in 2016, Toyota Dominates Daytona 500, VW May Be Forced to Clean Environment – Autoline Daily

Bob Wilson Says:

#15 – If it had been EPA/CARB, those would be hydrogen stations. An unattributed source, it sounds fishy.

The VW ‘instigator’ is proposing what would support sales of their EV MicroBus. It also feeds the VW sponsored rumors that it is not emissions but a ‘trade-war.’ If you agree, thank the President for bringing more jobs to the USA . . . but I suspect it is a VW false-flag.

In a perfect world, VW would buy back the cheat-diesels by offering a new-for-used swap of a legal car. To move it along, have the offer depreciate over time. So if a diesel fan prefers to keep their already ‘scrap value’ car, let ‘em. But emissions testing states could add a NOx test and add a ‘stick’ to get them off the road.

With new-for-used buy-back, everyone wins. Owners get ‘a free ride’ for the cheat-diesel years. VW gets to manufacture replacement, new cars. Finally, VW gets 480,000 used cars to remanufacture, or salvage. Say store them in a dry place and setup a remanufacturing or salvage operation.​

The "EV stations" is what gives it away since those are nearly universally private initiatives by EV manufacturers. It is those hideously expensive hydrogen fool-cell stations that CARB is pushing. EPA is also a 'fan boy' of hydrogen but has the good sense to not be too public about it.

Bob Wilson

 

London is a "central" big city in Europe, great share of european visitors...
If brits leave EU, it will more island than before...So it may harm tourism, IMPOV.

 

The same people who voted Obama but might not have fully agreed with ObamaCare? In a mainly two party system you vote the best of a bad lot.

 

Apparently, we are one step closer of getting a fix for all these VW diesels... Volkswagen a step closer to fixing emissions scandal

Whether you can believe the fix is real or is just vapourware will be another topic to discuss. I really like how they still trying to put a spin on things such as ... "And we're pleased to say that those affected vehicles will not suffer any performance or fuel economy downgrades as a result of the modifications,"

Maybe this could all magically work so the fix can be applied to US as well?

 

Until the department ratifies those planned repairs, Volkswagen Australia can not begin the repair process.​

"Our plan is, once the program is approved by the government, to complete the modifications one model at a time. We'll start with Amarok, then Passat and move through the range that way."

Australian cars fitted with some 1.6-litre and some two-litre turbo-diesel engines are caught up in the scandal that has dragged Volkswagen's global name through the mud.

Read more: Volkswagen a step closer to fixing emissions scandal
Follow us: @drivecomau on Twitter | Drive.com.au on Facebook​

Near as I can tell:

1. Cheat-sels with SCR - have to demonstrate 'long term' reliability for the systems that were turned off before. In effect, the SCR systems were only used to pass an emissions test. Now VW has to show they have enough capacity and robustness to last for 'the life of the car.'
2. Cheat-sels w/o SCR - rebuild or my preferred, swap "New-for-Old". There is no known fix other than to reduce power modes and increase fuel consumption. In effect, making the car run just like it did on the dyno tester which did NOT measure net HP to the wheels. Even so, the NOx trap has to go through the same endurance test as the previously, unused SCR equipped diesels.

For now, time is on the side of VW who gets to defer the expense of fixing the cheat-sels.

Bob Wilson

 

I don't have too much faith in our EPA to do their due diligence. I am guessing they will just give in and passed the proposed fix. We are in no way as strict as the US, hence the lax emission standards that we have here.

If anything, we just simply copy the Europeans, and you know how easily those Europeans give into auto makers when it comes to emissions.

SM-G900I ?​

 

Source: UPDATE 1-VW diesel suits hearing may give clues on settlement progress| Reuters

Feb 24 A U.S. federal judge will hold a hearing Thursday that may offer the first details on any progress in settling over 500 lawsuits filed against Volkswagen AG, a top supplier and many current and former top executives over excess emissions in 580,000 U.S. bdiesel vehicles.

Late Monday, lawyers representing owners filed a consolidated 719-page complaint against VW, supplier Robert Bosch GMBH, which helped develop emissions controls, along with VW's current and former CEOs and other executives, accusing them of racketeering, mail and wire fraud, among other misconduct. The plaintiffs are asking that VW be ordered to buy back vehicles that don't meet emissions standards, and pay "significant" damages.

The suits have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. Lawyers for VW, the Justice Department and owners plan to update Breyer on the "settlement process" Thursday.​

Bob Wilson

 

More Brexit talks...from the automotive sector...
UK car production and Brexit: what's at stake? - Left-Lane.com

 

Source: U.S. judge turns up heat on VW with March emissions fix deadline| Reuters

A federal judge turned up the heat on Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) on Thursday, setting a March deadline for the German automaker to state whether it has found an emissions fix for 600,000 diesel vehicles that is acceptable to U.S. regulators.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said he wants a definitive answer on the status of a fix by March 24.

Noting that VW had admitted in September that its vehicles on U.S. roads were using software to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution, Breyer said time was running out.

"Six months is long enough" to determine if this is a fixable problem, Breyer said. "This is an ongoing problem."​

Uh Oh,

Bob Wilson

 

Scare stories. Most tourism is from elsewhere and Brexit doesn't mean we won't visit Portugal or vice versa. It means we won't be spending £20billion a year on a club that doesn't want us and for which we get nothing out.

We'll still build cars and sell them, just like other places do. And if the EU slap some tarifs on, which they won't, then we'll just slap the same tax on their French and German cars - of which we import more than cars we export. They know it and we know it. Trade wars never work, but if France slaps tarifs on us, then we'll bung tarifs on their wine and buy from Chile instead.

Security has been provided by NATO and nothing to do with the EU.

And to make you feel at home, the Portuguese boss of the UK's largest bank, Llloyds, thinks we'll be fine outside the constraints of the EU;

Lloyds boss gives vote of confidence to a Brexit and he's from Portugal | Daily Mail Online

There are many more positive reasons to leave and if you're still unconvinced, just wait until Turkey join!?! God help the EU then. The EU has become a mad house despite starting out with positive ideals.

EU’s migration system is ten days from 'completely breaking down' | Daily Mail Online

The EU has been abusing our membership for too long, and now our roads are breaking apart due to lack of money and our hospitals are failing for the same reasons, yet we spend £20 billion a year on the EU so they can build roads and highways in Slovakia or Italy.

Enough is enough.