Volkswagen Chairman Apologizes Again for Emissions Scandal

Herbert Diess, chairman of Volkswagen Passenger Cars’ board, speaks during a keynote address at the 2016 CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 5, 2016.

The small, armed group occupying a remote national wildlife preserve in OR has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands – a sentiment that frustrates critics who say the lands are already managed…

On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that the discussions with Volkswagen have still not produced “an acceptable way forward”.

The company has not found a solution to fix these cars even after three months and if a German daily called Sueddeutsche Zeitung is to be believed, the company will be buying back a staggering 1,15,000 vehicles affected by the cheat code.

But getting a fix approved by regulators in the U.S.to bring the offending cars in line with the rules has proved much more hard for Volkswagen due to stricter rules about NOx emissions.

But the United States cars are more problematic because they emit up to 40 times more toxic nitrogen oxide than allowed. The emails were sought by a group of 48 USA state attorneys general investigating excess emissions in 580,000 US diesel cars.

One of many major auto manufacturers keen to be seen promoting their new technology at CES, Diess introduced Volkswagen’s new VW electric minivan concept vehicle.

US fixes likely will include complicated recalls and take several years for some of the older models.

According to reports, Volkswagen expects to have to buy back around 115,000 diesel vehicles in the U.S. that have been equipped with software to skew the affects of emission tests.

The US Justice Department is suing Europe’s biggest carmaker for up to $US48billion ($F102b) for allegedly violating environmental law – a reminder of the carmaker’s problems almost four months after its emissions scandal broke.

“I’m optimistic that we will find a solution, we will bring a package together which satisfies our customers first and foremost and then also the regulators”, he said, according to the AP.

Volkswagen AG’s top executives will visit the U.S.in coming days as tensions rise with the US government, which is seeking multi-billion dollar penalties amid a lack of progress on fixing vehicles rigged to cheat emissions tests.

The company and its executives could still face separate criminal charges, while a raft of private class-action lawsuits filed by angry VW owners are pending.

The cars affected included diesel vehicles, SUVs sold since the 2009 model year, and some recent diesel models that were sold by Audi and Porsche, brands owned by VW.