Skip to main content

EPA officials find a second defeat device in diesel-powered Audi, VW and Porsche models

Audi Q5 TDI
Volkswagen has admitted that at least 85,000 U.S.-spec cars powered by a 3.0-liter TDI V6 engine are programmed with an illegal defeat device that disables certain emissions control functions during normal use.

The defeat device is fitted to cars built between the 2009 and 2016 model years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). On our shores, the 3.0-liter V6 TDI is primarily found under the hood of Audi models such as the A6, the A7, both the short- and long-wheelbase variants of the range-topping A8, the Q5 (pictured), and the Q7. It also powers the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen’s Touareg off-roader.

Related Videos

While the alternative exhaust control device fitted to the 3.0-liter TDI violates U.S. law, Audi — whose ad slogan is, ironically, “This is Truth in Engineering” — points out that it’s legal in Europe but executives failed to properly notify regulators of its existence. The company also stresses that the six-cylinder TDI isn’t fitted with the same defeat device as the smaller 2.0-liter TDI that powers nearly half a million cars in the U.S. including Volkswagen’s Golf and Jetta and the Audi A3.

The announcement is surprising because the Wolfsburg-based car maker flatly denied the EPA’s allegations earlier this month.

“Volkswagen AG wishes to emphasize that no software has been installed in the 3.0-liter V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner,” explained Volkswagen in a statement published on November 2nd.

Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche have issued stop-sale orders that apply to the aforementioned models equipped with the 3.0-liter TDI engine, and representatives from all three companies are cooperating with federal authorities. A tentative fix for the non-compliant 2.0-liter TDI was presented to regulators on Friday, but what it consists of hasn’t been made public yet.

The EPA is allowed to fine the Volkswagen Group up to $37,500 per offending vehicle, meaning the Dieselgate scandal could cost $21 billion in penalties alone.

Editors' Recommendations

Mercedes is finally bringing an electric van to the U.S.
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric van.

Mercedes-Benz might be known for luxury cars, but it also makes vans, and it's finally bringing an electric van to the United States.

Scheduled to start production this summer, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is an all-electric version of the Sprinter full-size cargo van that's already a favorite of delivery services like FedEx and Amazon, as well as camper van converters. While the automaker has been selling electric vans in Europe since 2010, the new eSprinter is the first one aimed at the U.S. market.

Read more
Audi ActiveSphere concept is part luxury sedan, part pickup truck
Audi ActiveSphere concept car in a mountainous setting with a bike on the rear rack.

Audi unveiled the fourth and final member of its Sphere-branded series of concept cars, and the design study is unlike anything we've seen before. Called ActiveSphere, it's an electric luxury sedan with a generous amount of ground clearance that can turn into a pickup truck.

Created at the Audi Design Studio in Malibu, California, the ActiveSphere stretches approximately 196 inches long, 81 inches wide, and 63 inches tall, figures that make it about as long as the current-generation A6, 7 inches wider, and 6 inches taller. It wears a rounded exterior design characterized by thin headlights, a transparent piece of trim where you'd expect to find a grille, and a fastback-like silhouette.

Read more
2024 Polestar 2 gets a major overhaul for the 2024 model year
2024 Polestar 2

Volvo off-shoot Polestar is looking forward to an eventful year. It will begin production of the 3, its first crossover, and it will release a comprehensively updated version of the 2 sedan that's sportier than the outgoing model, more road trip-friendly, and better equipped.

The biggest visual difference between the original 2 and the new-look car due out in 2023 as a 2024 model is found on the front end. The electric sedan swaps its grille for what Polestar designers call a SmartZone that frames the front-facing camera and covers the mid-range radar used to power some of the electronic driving aids. While the shift isn't significant, it's symbolic. The grille created a visual link between the 2 and the 1, Polestar's now-retired first model; the SmartZone brings the sedan in line with the sleek-looking 3 unveiled in late 2022.

Read more