VW, Audi facing up to $18 billion fine after getting caught with illegal emissions control software

大众尾气检测造假 或面临180亿美元罚单

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in United States is accusing Volkswagen and Audi of using a “defeat device” on approximately 482,000 cars for cheating during official emissions tests.

The software in question was used on the Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Audi A3 for the 2009-2015 model years and also on the Volkswagen Passat 2014MY and 2015MY. All these vehicles come equipped with a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine and have a special software that was able to automatically detect when the car was undergoing EPA emissions testing and it turned on the car’s full emissions controls device. After that, the software switched off the device during real world driving.

This is the explanation given by EPA and they say the software allowed all those VW and Audi models to fully comply with the emissions standards during lab testing, but in real-word driving the nitrogen oxides emissions are up to 40 times above the allowable levels.

Under the current federal law, EPA can apply a maximum fine of $37,500 per car which means Volkswagen and Audi could face a total fine of up to $18 billion.

After getting caught cheating on emissions testing by means of software, Volkswagen could face up to $18 billion in fines, reports USA Today. That number is based on the company being assessed the maximum penalty of $37,500 per affected vehicle. That’s not the only bad news for Volkswagen, which has halted sales of its 4-cylinder diesel cars; the linked article reports that the violations “could also invite charges of false marketing by regulators, a vehicle recall and payment to car owners, either voluntarily or through lawsuits. Volkswagen advertised the cars under the ‘Clean Diesel’ moniker. The state of California is also investigating the emissions violations.”

　　9月18日，美国政府勒令大众召回约48.2万辆汽车，原因是该公司利用欺骗设备规避排放标准，对公共健康构成威胁。同日，美国环境保护局宣布，大众汽车承认蓄意欺骗美国政府的空气污染检测多年，其违规行为可能导致多达180亿美元的罚款。

　　美国环保署（EPA）指控该公司在多款大众和奥迪车型上安装被称为“欺骗设备”的软件，该设备可探测出车辆何时正在接受官方排放检测，只有在检测时才打开全面排放控制系统，在正常行驶情况下则关闭控制系统，其排放的污染物实际上达到标准的40多倍。受影响车型包括安装四缸柴油发动机的2009-2015款捷达、甲壳虫、高尔夫和奥迪A3，以及2014至15款帕萨特。　

　　文德恩在声明中说道，大众集团不会容忍违反规则和法律的行为。消费者和公众的信任是大众最重要的财富，大众集团将会不惜一切代价重建公众对大众集团的信任，并将尽最大努力弥补此事造成的损失，“此次事件将成为我个人和大众集团工作的重中之重。”