We’re more than six months into the Volkswagen diesel-emissions scandal, and yet there’s still no fix for more than half a million cheating diesels. The company has been in negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board to find a solution, but so far they have yet to come to an agreement. But if VW wants to avoid the wrath of a federal judge, it’s going to have to come up with a workable solution before the end of next month.
Automotive News reports that U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer gave VW until April 21 to come to an agreement with regulators. If it can’t, Breyer said he’d consider holding a trial this summer to address the polluting cars.
Volkswagen responded, saying, “We continue to make progress and are cooperating fully with the efforts undertaken by Judge Breyer, working through Director (Robert) Mueller, to bring about a prompt and fair resolution of the U.S. civil litigation.” Mueller is the former FBI director that Breyer appointed to settling this case for Volkswagen.
One of the biggest issues is whether regulators will accept partially fixed vehicles. Todd Sax, the enforcement head at CARB, has said he doesn’t believe the cars could be fully fixed. If that’s the case, and the EPA and CARB can’t agree to allow Volkswagen to partially fix the cars, then the automaker could be forced to buy back the affected vehicles. The total cost of a buyback ...