Volkswagen chief meets United States regulators; talks to continue until parties reach consensus

In a statement on Tuesday, VW said it was continuing to work with both state and federal regulators and the rejection of its recall plan by CARB did not mean a recall would not occur.

VW officials have expressed optimism they will soon win approval of a plan to fix the vehicles.

The plan submitted by VW in November to modify its 2.0-liter four-cylinder TDI diesel models has been rejected by the regulatory agencies that must approve those fixes.

“We feel personally responsible for keeping our promises to the American people about the benefits that our (emissions) standards are going to create for our society and everyone who breathes in it”, Grundler said.

When asked if Volkswagen was remotely close to a plan that would satisfy the EPA, Grundler said he couldn’t give details about ongoing enforcement matters. “They continued and compounded the lie, and when they were caught they tried to deny it”. “However, it’s unfortunate because it continues to delay getting consumers the answers and solutions they want, need, and deserve”. “Today’s decision is a step in the direction of assuring that will happen”. Admittedly, there are some worries about the effectiveness of Volkswagen’s fix itself, but much of CARB’s focus has to do with the administration of the recall rather than with the repair plan itself.

California’s move comes a day before the German automaker’s top executive, CEO Matthias Mueller, is set to have a private meeting with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy in Washington.

The interviewer suggested to Mueller that VW was dealing with an ethical problem in the USA, to which he responded, “Frankly spoken, it was a technical problem”.

Volkswagen’s plan to fix the cars affected by its emissions scandal in the U.S. have been rejected by government officials.

The CARB stated that the rejection only applies to VW’s diesel 2.0L vehicles, not 3.0L vehicles.

Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, head of the Center of Automotive Research at Germany’s University of Duisburg-Essen, said VW and Mueller had suffered an overall “strategic failure” in the United States. The EPA is pursuing its own enforcement actions against the company. The company later admitted a similar “defeat device” was also included in about 85,000 diesel vehicles with 3.0-liter engines, including some Audi and Porsche SUVs.

Barclays analysts said obtaining the goodwill of US authorities could be crucial in reducing civil or criminal penalties the German carmaker is likely to face.

The letter referred to a proposal made in December, which was also rejected by the EPA.