Volkswagen's 3.0-Liter Diesel Fix Won't Require Buybacks: Report

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

After agonizing over a fix for its 2.0-liter diesel models, Volkswagen is close to finalizing a plan for vehicles powered by the 3.0-liter TDI V6.

The first fix forced Volkswagen into a wildly expensive buyback-and-fix program for the nearly half million 2.0-liter TDIs sidelined by the diesel emissions scandal, but that won’t be needed for the bigger engines, sources close to the issue tell Bloomberg.

Testing is underway on a software fix for the 3.0-liters, but that could be accompanied by a catalytic converter swap, the sources say. Together, the upgrades would bring the engines into environmental compliance and keep 85,000 U.S. Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche models on the road.

No deal has yet been reached between the automaker and U.S. regulators. The Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board have to sign off on any agreement, but that side of the issue is currently on ice, given that the initial 2.0-liter agreement won’t be finalized until June 21.

The cost of all emissions fixes, including the U.S. buyback, will be covered by Volkswagen’s $18.2 billion scandal fund. If that sum doesn’t cover all expenses, a brand selloff could be in the works.

Volkswagen’s stock rose 4.7 percent after the report came out, but the automaker’s shares have failed to reach anywhere near pre-scandal values.

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • I wonder who was the guy in the assembly line who actually installed the cheat device? What was his life like? Can we have a small independent film about him?

    • Orenwolf Orenwolf on May 10, 2016

      I'll wager the guy on the line had no idea he was installing a defeat device, just an ECU (or whatever component it was). I'd *love* to see a movie from the perspective of the engineering team, though - the moment when it "became ok" to defeat the tests rather than engineer in the required specifications must have been amazing to watch slowly unfold.

  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on May 10, 2016

    If the performance, MPG, and longevity don't change much after the fix, VW just looks stupid because they could have avoided this mess during design. If any of these items changes noticeably, VW will look stupid for offering a sub-par fix.

    • See 1 previous
    • DenverMike DenverMike on May 10, 2016

      @orenwolf "But really, how bad did culture have to get where a defeat device..." No doubt they wanted it all. All the glory, big power, great fuel economy, reliability/longevity and of course, clean emissions. It all had to be cheap to build too. How else? It came down to cheat or fail. Except they're used to cheating or fooling EU regulators, so I can't imaging they knew how hard the EPA/CARB would come down on them.

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