Volkswagen to refit cars affected by emissions scandal

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Volkswagen announced plans on Tuesday to refit up to 11 million vehicles and overhaul its namesake brand following the scandal over its rigging of emissions tests.

New Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said the German carmaker would ask customers "in the next few days" to have diesel vehicles that contained illegal software refitted, a move which some analysts have said could cost more than $6.5 billion.

Europe's biggest carmaker has admitted cheating in diesel emissions tests in the United States and Germany's transport minister says it also manipulated them in Europe, where Volkswagen sells about 40 percent of its vehicles.

The company is under huge pressure to address the worst business crisis in its 78-year history, which has wiped more than a third off its market value, sent shock waves through the global car market and could harm Germany's economy.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/29/us-volkswagen-emissions-plan-idUSKCN0RT0OL20150929

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Business News | Tue Sep 29, 2015 9:55am EDT
BERLIN | BY ANDREAS CREMER

[Sherman A1]

1. This is just a start

of course they would have to repair what is a defect in their products. The question is of course what will come next?

[dembotoz]

2. hmmmm wonder if you buy a crapped out vw diesel they will pretty much give you a new engine....

opportunity here for some bargains?????

nah if too good to be true it always is

but still worth looking at

[w0nderer]

4. most likely just a rechip or reflash of a chip (software update) n/t

[Major Nikon]

6. Almost definitely

$7.3 billion divided by 11 million vehicles is $664 per. That's not going to get you a new engine.

[NonMetro]

15. Sounds Like A Partial New Exhaust System?

[Major Nikon]

18. Those components already exist on the vehicles

That's why they were able to pass under test. VW was bypassing them during normal operation to improve performance. So the challenge becomes convincing the owners to agree to a modification that will degrade the performance of their vehicles. I just don't see that happening without any monetary incentive.

[AtheistCrusader]

25. Yeah, there's only two ways this is happening.

One, VW will have to incentivize making these people's cars suck a bit, performance-wise.
Two, Emissions control regions, like Seattle, will have to refuse tabs/licensing until the cars have been corrected.

[Kotya]

27. Makes me wonder if there will be an underground market

in "un-fixing" these cars after the software has been upgraded.

[AtheistCrusader]

28. Undoubtably, in fact, there's already a market for most modern cars in the form of

software updates, or whole-chip replacements, if the car borders on the edge of any tuning/performance classification.

Truck owners of diesels were doing 'rolling coal' modifications, some software based to do the pillars of smoke thing like assholes, and that's all EPA/Emissions violation stuff that ought to result in being unable to get tabs for city areas where emissions controls are in place.

[NonMetro]

34. So, What Are They Going To Do With That $664 Per Vehicle?

Sounds like a lot if they're just going to put in a computer chip or something.

[Jesus Malverde]

37. Install a urea control system like used on trucks

I hear it smells like cat piss when you fill it up with urea. The customers of German cars are gonna love that.

[NonMetro]

38. Interesting!

Thanks for the response. Apparently, from the comments here, it's going to affect performance. I think if I owned one of those, I'd want my money back!

[PoliticAverse]

3. So they are going to fix the software to give better emissions but lower gas mileage? n/t

[Human101948]

7. And a lot less ummmphergugen!

Volkswagen prioritized power and fuel economy over meeting the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's emissions standards, Herner said..It's a relatively simple fix to reactivate NOx traps on the recalled cars, he said.

"...These vehicles can operate within our regulations," Herner said. "Our priority now is to get them fixed so that they do so."

But Volkswagen owners may end up being disappointed with the more sluggish, gas-guzzling cars they get back, Herner said...

http://www.livescience.com/52284-volkswagen-scandal-clean-diesel-challenges.html

[PoliticAverse]

8. Sounds like a lot of people are going to lose their fahrvergnügen. n/t

[Human101948]

10. But they can compensate with Viagra-gnügen!

For faster starts!

[nolabels]

13. Sounds like a rather large class action suit on it's way

As a truck mechanic but just a mechanic in general for the last 38 years i often find myself cursing those many engineers who make crap like this so hard to work on. Also those German ones have a special notch up over the rest of them in my book. Just as example, when Mercedes corp. bought out Freightliner Trucks they re-engineered a lot of crap and really messed up how things were managed in the corporation. Consequently Freightliner's reputation and reliability have suffered from it. I hope they really get it in shorts for this one. There is certain idea or air they seem to run around in as a group that make them think they are infallible. It's time for a little comeuppance.

[Dustlawyer]

17. Lower mileage and a lot less power. This brings up issues involving things like,

The car has a lot less power than I thought I was getting. Many would not have purchased one that is now probably under-powered. Resale value just went through the floor. VW will owe customers for that value when the class action hits. This will cost much more than just retrofitting the cars.

[skepticscott]

31. And that's not even counting all of the fines

that the United States government is going to hit them with. Better get our piece of them while they still have money to give. Bankruptcy is by no means out of the question.

[KansDem]

5. But who's going to jail?

[PoliticAverse]

9. A scapegoat will be found, eventually. n/t

[Kotya]

11. Some mid-level engineer will fall on his sword. (eom)

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. German prosecutors said on Monday they were investigating the CEO over allegations of fraud

Mueller was appointed CEO on Friday to replace Martin Winterkorn. German prosecutors said on Monday they were investigating Winterkorn over allegations of fraud.

[thesquanderer]

21. In part, it depends on what German law was broken

and the fact that these cars were sold in the EU is probably much more significant there than if the cars had only been sold in the U.S.

U.S. companies have sold some terrible things to other countries (things that would have been criminal to sell here). It's not necessarily illegal, and the other countries do not have jurisdiction to jail Americans residing on American soil. You'd have to go for extradition, good luck.

[kirby]

33. Probably Obama...

Certainly the company had no choice due to higher CAFE standards.

[cpompilo]

12. So, WHO exactly is going to jail for this massive crime against the planet and human laws?

no one as usual.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. Who at GM is going to jail, since their defect caused death,

and who at Takata is going to jail, since their exploding air bags also killed?

I doubt VW's emission scheme caused anyone to die. So where is the "massive" crime?

Plus, VW's scheme seems to have caused less DU outrage than a lion-shooting dentist, and he's not going to jail.

[cpompilo]

24. Decision executives from both GM and Takata should be prosecuted...

refer to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/upshot/how-many-deaths-did-volkswagens-deception-cause-in-us.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1

or

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016133326

Massive crimes? VW intentionally and deliberately violated the laws (in the 1st degree if you will) on at least 2 continents and of numerous countries. Not to mention: illegal and deceptive business practices, defrauding customers, increasing planetary pollution beyond the bounds of national regulations (insufficient though those regulations are).

And, yes, GM and Takata should be prosecuted as well for their culpability and for failing their responsibility to deliver reasonably safe products. The GM case(s) underscore the disaster that is outsourcing auto parts to unscrupulous companies employing very low wage workers to produce shoddy and defective (in other words, cheep) safety related auto parts (eg., Takata). However, this outsourcing disaster and care only for the bottom line permeates the global auto industry (as in the case of defective Takata airbag recalls across auto manufacturers).

VW's case was an entirely willful violation of environmental laws. I don't imagine GM executives willfully decided to provide defective airbags and ignition switches. That said, their sole interest in profit lacking their responsibility of oversight of their suppliers and their delivered goods makes GM executive culpable and accessories.

As far as DU outrage is concerned, that is not a measure I had considered.

[Kablooie]

19. Volkswagen could follow the path of Enron.

I this is so big that they will be destroyed.
Or possibly bought by another car maker and essentially be absorbed.

I wonder if other car makers are quaking, waiting for their similar crimes to be exposed.

[thesquanderer]

20. Similar crimes have happened before

The technology is just getting more sophisticated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/24/business/international/volkswagen-test-rigging-follows-a-long-auto-industry-pattern.html

[Kablooie]

29. I remember some of those.

This somehow feels bigger to me.
The fact that multiple countries are starting their own investigations I think is something new.

[Lychee2]

22. $6.5B?

I wonder how much they made via this deception.

[Kelvin Mace]

26. Whatever it was,

it will be wiped out by this and the coming fines which could be as much as $37,000 for EACH car.

[Lychee2]

23. $6.5B?

I wonder how much they made with this deception.

[End Of The Road]

30. since not all states require emissions testing...

Will owners in those states choose not to have the car refitted to avoid being left with a lemon?

[tomm2thumbs]

32. this is just one thing -- what about the rest?

What it does is make you question everything else they have said about their cars. Safety measures. Crash-test requirements. Flammability of parts on the interior.

Did they send over cars to be crash-tested that had more reinforcement than the ones they generally sell to the public? Are they using cheaper, less safe and more dangerous materials in their cars than they claim?

Are their fuel tanks prone to rupture?

So basically, a company says 'trust us' on the bare most basic element on something they KNOW they are going to be tested on -- emissions -- and commits overt fraud. And we are supposed to trust them on the other aspects of their cars?

Sounds like rolling death traps if you ask me.

[mopinko]

35. i hope they have to buy back every one of those cars.

that is the only thing that would make me happy if i had one.
buy them back and crush them.

[Jesus Malverde]

36. They should be banned from the road until then..nt