A global scandal is affecting a local business. Three weeks ago, Volkswagen’s credibility declined as 11 million of their vehicles became fraudulent.
The company had installed software that made it possible for the vehicles to falsely pass emissions tests.
The situation came to light when the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) was contracted to thoroughly test emissions on a select number of vehicles.
A Volkswagen vehicle was on the list and failed.
The ICCT discovered that Volkswagen diesel engines were emitting higher levels of nitros oxides into the environment than what is acceptable.
Prior to this, Volkswagen has been known for their excellent fuel mileage, many times competing with hybrid vehicles.
They were also known for their minimal impact on the environment in comparison to other diesel vehicles. It is estimated that over 11 million Volkswagen’s worldwide contain the illegal software.
Although Europe has a much larger diesel market than in Canada, the impact is still being felt in Lethbridge.
The scandal has required all dealerships nationwide to stop selling the affected models.
Currently our local Volkswagen dealership has 15 cars on the lot that are grounded and unable to be sold. On Wednesday new information came to light as Volkswagen announced it would be sending out a software update that would repair five million vehicles.
Fortunately for Canada, the update will bring affected vehicles up to our emissions standards.
This was good news for our local dealership as the 15 illegal vehicles will soon be available for sale again.
Brad White, a Product Advisor at Lethbridge Volkswagen said, “they’ll probably be the guinea pigs, they’ll be the first ones that we correct and make greener.”
Long-time Lethbridge resident and loyal Volkswagen consumer, Marlene Saler, is disappointed with the company.
She has owned various Volkswagens since 1957. “I don’t know how long those guys thought they could get away with it,” she said. “How fair is it to our laws over here?” she remarked.
“When we’re trying to say we don’t want our cars emitting a certain amount of pollution into the air, they need to abide by our standards.”
She went on to explain that it’s unfortunate that local business has felt the backlash over something they had no control over.
Saler did mention that the scandal would not affect her loyalty to Volkswagen.
Her vehicle was not one affected by the scandal and she says she will continue to get it serviced at the local dealership.
Reuben Scenft, a student at Lethbridge College, expressed how he feels about Volkswagen as a whole.
“My opinion has definitely dropped, it’s understandable from a money point of view, but it’s not ideal. I don’t like that they did it,” he said.
The recent news of the update has been good for our local dealership, however there are still six million cars worldwide that will remain unrepairable.
This includes the half-million cars in the United States that will still not meet emissions requirements with the update.
The results of the scandal will not only affect consumers, but also the company as a whole. Matthias Mueller, replaced Martin Winterkorn as CEO after the scandal came to light.
He recently announced that Volkswagen would be making cutbacks to compensate for their new found financial responsibilities. The current cost to the company is estimated at $86 billion.
