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Audi A3 diesel fails independent emissions test in Europe

The best-selling model under Volkswagen's Audi division was emitted about double the legal limits of nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels for Europe, Reuters says, citing laboratory tests overseen by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in August. The Audi A3 was found in two tests to emit about double the legal limit of NOx, though one of the tests had the A3 within the limits when the engine was cold. An Audi spokesman told Reuters that the A3 was independently tested to have emissions levels within the legal limit and that he wasn't aware of the JRC test results. Still, the findings are another example of how Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, can not seem to shed the issues surrounding the diesel-emissions scandal that broke last September. VW has been fined about $19 billion for equipping diesel cars with software that cheats emissions-testing systems. About 11 million cars were affected, including about a half-million vehicles in the US. In addition reaching a $15 billion settlement with US regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) earlier this year, VW has been fined $15 million by the South Korean government, which may impose more penalties because of allegations of false advertising. Audi is not the only VW unit to face further scrutiny. Germany's Transport Ministry and Federal Motor Transport Authority are taking a closer look at VW's Porsche division for potential emissions-cheating efforts, Bloomberg News recently reported. Additionally, the European Union is saying that at least seven of its member nations failed to provide sufficient oversight of automobiles' emissions-testing process, and may take legal action against Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Greece, and Great Britain, according to a separate Reuters article. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Audi A3 View 125 Photos News Source: Reuters via Automotive News Europe-sub.req. Government/Legal Green Audi Volkswagen AutoblogGreen Exclusive Emissions Diesel Vehicles testing

VW offers to buy back new diesels if bans introduced

By Maria Sheahan FRANKFURT, Germany — Volkswagen will buy back new diesel cars if German cities ban them, it said on Thursday, seeking to reassure potential buyers and stem a plunge in sales of diesel vehicles. Europe's biggest automaker also said it would extend incentives for buyers of new diesel cars. The moves come after a German court ruled last month that cities in the country could ban the most polluting diesel vehicles from their streets. Many German cities exceed European Union limits on atmospheric nitrogen oxide, known to cause respiratory diseases. Fears of bans have led to a plunge in demand for diesel vehicles, which are also key to carmakers' attempts to meet new EU rules on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. While diesel cars are heavily criticized for emitting nitrogen oxide, they spew out less CO2 than gasoline equivalents. Diesel car sales plunged 19 percent in Germany last month. At its core VW brand, Volkswagen said its buyback offer applied to new diesels bought between April 1 and the end of 2018 and would kick in if the city in which the buyer lived or worked banned diesels within three years of the purchase. It said its dealerships would buy back diesel vehicles affected by bans at their current value if their owners at the same time bought a new vehicle that was not affected by cities' driving restrictions. At Czech brand Skoda, the guarantee applies to cars bought between April 1 and the end of June, but will cover bans introduced within four years of the purchase date. At premium brand Audi, the offer only covers leased vehicles. Volkswagen also said it was extending to the end of June incentives for customers trading in older diesels for new ones. Fellow German carmaker BMW said earlier this month it would offer to take back leased vehicles if diesels were banned within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the operator's home or place of work. There has been a global backlash against diesel-engine cars since Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating U.S. exhaust tests. But Germany's government is seeking to avoid widespread bans on heavily polluting diesel vehicles, which companies say could cut the resale value of up to 15 million vehicles in Europe's biggest car market. In Germany, where motorists expect to drive powerful cars on motorways with no speed limits, any restrictions will be unpopular.

Scott Pruitt unfiltered: EPA administrator talks climate science, car emissions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt gave Reuters a wide-ranging interview on Monday at his office in Washington, discussing issues from climate science to automobile emissions. The following is a full transcript of the interview: REUTERS: You have said the EPA will focus on a "Back to Basics" approach under your leadership. What does this mean for how EPA enforces polluters? You have been critical of the idea of regulation by enforcement. PRUITT: I think what I'm speaking about, there is a consent decree approach to enforcement, where you use judicial proceedings to actually engage in regulation. Enforcement should be about existing regulations that you're actually enforcing against someone who may be violating that, very much in the prosecutorial manner. As attorney general [in Oklahoma], I lived that. There was a grand jury that I led. Being a prosecutor, I understand very much the importance of prioritization, of enforcing the rule of law, of addressing bad actors. That's something we are going to do in a meaningful way across the broad spectrum of cases, whether it is in the office of air or the Superfund area, or otherwise. REUTERS: Do you want to see states play a bigger role in enforcing polluters, even though some have less of a capacity to do so – financially and personnel wise? PRUITT: I think the state's role is really, when you look at this office working with states, it should be how do we assist, how do we engage in compliance and assistance with states. The office [at EPA that deals with enforcement] is called OECA, the Office of Enforcement, Compliance and Assistance, so those are the tools we have in the toolbox to achieve better outcomes. So what we ought to be doing is working proactively with state DEQs [Departments of Environmental Quality] to get their state implementation plans [for federal regulations] timely submitted, provide assistance and technical support, drive a draft of state implementation plans, and then actually work with them on how to achieve through those plans better outcomes and air and water quality. As far as enforcement is concerned, we will actually work with states. We actually did that recently with Colorado. There was an oil and gas company that was emitting some 3,000 tons, is that what it was, it was quite a bit of ... it was an ozone case. In any event, we joined with Colorado in that prosecution. So sometimes states will do it, sometimes we will join with them.