21 April is the deadline that Judge Breyer has set for VW to respond to the scandal caused by installing “defeat devices” to evade emissions regulations on 567,000 “clean diesel” cars sold in the US (VW emissions cheat software came from Audi – report, 20 April).
As owners of a diesel Jetta, we have been waiting for VW to respond for seven months since the scandal broke. The defeat device eliminates the reason we purchased the car: low-emission “clean transport”. In buying it we relied on VW’s compliance with regulations and the company’s “clean diesel” advertising.
By deceiving consumers and regulators, VW has shown a deep disregard for the individuals who purchased its vehicles and for the wellbeing of current and future generations. Governments pass emission regulations to protect society from pollution and climate change. Any company that evades regulation places its own interests over those of society. Unless companies comply, progress will never be made toward an environmentally sustainable future. With the exception of one trip attempting to return our car to VW America, we haven’t driven it since the scandal broke.
Given this egregious situation, it is essential for VW to face the consequences of its actions. The company should: (1) compensate all damage to the environment; (2) refund consumers; and (3) face large civil penalties. Individuals and the corporation should also be held criminally accountable. This includes executives and anyone that had a controlling say in their appointment and the corporate culture they created. The issue isn’t just the defeat device; it’s a corporate culture that encourages such action.
Marcus Moench and Elisabeth Caspari
Boulder, Colorado
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