[The Volkswagen Group is under fire after the EPA recently discovered that some of its diesel-powered models have been manipulated to comply with emissions standards only during testing. We have yet to receive official confirmation of the details, but the Volkswagen Jetta 
, Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Beetle , Volkswagen Passat and Audi A3 have all been mentioned so far, dating back to as early as the 2009 model year. The vehicles were allegedly programmed to run without emissions controls unless they are being tested.
In a recent press release, Volkswagen’s board of management has apologized for breaking the public’s trust and said violation of internal regulations or laws would not be tolerated. VW has said that it will comply will all agencies with transparency and urgency, and has ordered an external investigation. A recall will be issued in the near future to reprogram the affected vehicles and bring them up to U.S. standards. At this time, we are unaware if vehicles outside of the U.S. are affected. We will keep you updated as more details come forward.
Continue reading for the full story.
Why it matters
VW’s board of management claims this is a top priority, and will do whatever it takes to rectify the situation with the EPA and its customers. That sounds a lot like damage control to me, but we’ll see what happens in the coming months.
2015 Volkswagen Jetta
Read our full review of the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta here .
Press Release
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board (EPA and CARB) revealed their findings that while testing diesel cars of the Volkswagen Group they have detected manipulations that violate American environmental standards.
The Board of Management at Volkswagen AG takes these findings very seriously.
I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public. We will cooperate fully with the responsible agencies, with transparency and urgency, to clearly, openly, and completely establish all of the facts of this case.
Volkswagen has ordered an external investigation of this matter.
We do not and will not tolerate violations of any kind of our internal rules or of the law.
The trust of our customers and the public is and continues to be our most important asset. We at Volkswagen will do everything that must be done in order to re-establish the trust that so many people have placed in us, and we will do everything necessary in order to reverse the damage this has caused. This matter has first priority for me, personally, and for our entire Board of Management.