Emission Scandal: Volkswagen Proposes Fix for Diesel Cars in US

Volkswagen has developed a fix - a catalytic converter - that could be fitted to around 430,000 cars equipped with the first generation of the EA 189 diesel engine in the US, allowing them to pass emissions tests, according to a report in German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

The paper did not provide any information on its sources, but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters that VW's proposal included a new catalytic converter system made in part from new materials.

Also Read: Volkswagen May Buy Back 115,000 Diesel Cars in US

Volkswagen has struggled to agree with US authorities on a fix for vehicles fitted with the emissions test cheating devices, Reuters reported this week, showing how relations between the two sides remained strained 4 months after the scandal broke.

The fix would need to be approved by the US Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller hopes to convince EPA officials at a meeting on Wednesday in Washington, Bild am Sonntag further added. Mueller is scheduled to speak at an invitation-only media reception in Detroit on Sunday, ahead of the annual Detroit Auto Show.

Volkswagen has declined to comment on the Bild am Sonntag report.

Earlier in the week, the US Justice Department, representing the EPA, filed a civil suit that could potentially expose VW to more than $20 billion (18.3 billion Euros) in fines under the Clean Air Act. Numerous private class-action lawsuits filed by angry VW owners are pending, in addition to a separate criminal investigation.

In September, the Wolfsburg-based carmaker admitted to having used cheating software in about 11 million diesel vehicles that would show the vehicle emitting lower nitrogen oxide emission in tests - emissions that in reality were far beyond those permitted.