5 Hot selling Volkswagen Cars under probe in “Dieselgate” Scandal

Kuala Lumpur:  Well, every automotive enthusiast across the globe is familiar by the gist of the Volkswagen scandal which escalated to Volkswagen CEO's resignation. The scandal has now been named as “Dieselgate”, one of the biggest cons in the automotive industry so far. Although, we know about it, but still we’ll have a quick recap regarding the scam.

It all started on September 18 when the US EPA (Environment Protection Agency) submitted a notice of violation (NOV) as per the Clean Air Act (CAA) to the German automaker. According to EPA seven vehicles manufactured by the German automaker featuring a turbocharged direct injection (TDI) Clean Diesel models used “defeat devices” to circumvent a loophole among the testing for pollutants in these diesel vehicles’ engines giving the cars a green signal over clean emissions. The intelligent cheating software manipulates the results of actual emissions when it detects a test, deceiving regulators as to the pollutants it would emit and also putting forward a deceptive image of the fuel economy it would achieve.

This massive quake in the automotive industry defamed the largest manufacturer and indicted several Volkswagen’s executives, which resulted in resignations. This huge humdrum created a shockwave crashing the stocks of the world’s leading automaker to fall about 30% in four days.

Thus, here we compiled the list of five highest selling diesel cars among the seven responsible for the Dieselgate.

1. Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Volkswagen Jetta TDI is one of the highest selling models for the Volkswagen group. Although the TDI model is not on sale for the 2016 model year, but the cars sold between 2009 and 2015 were investigated by the EPA in its violation notice. As per the reports of the testing organizations, Jetta recorded the nitrous oxide levels up to 40 times the standard, making it a chief culprit among the top 5.

2. Volkswagen Beetle TDI

The classic crowned prince VW Beetle (or “Bug”) of the German automaker was another convict of the cited by the EPA on its notice of violation for the use of a defeat device. The models which were found to be under probe were 2012 through 2015. Apart from the classic two-door beetle the clean diesel Beetle TDI Convertibles on sale between 2012 through 2015 were also named on the list.

3. Audi A3 TDI

Volkswagen Audi's most celebrated Audi A3 which was awarded the World Car of the Year at the 2014 New York Auto Show also proved guilty in the Dieselgate scandal. More specifically the TDI edition sold in model years 2010 through 2015. As per the recent stats the Audi A3 has been almost doubling its sales totals in the U.S., however, the recent revelations might hit hard on the sales of this particularly celebrated wagon. The standard gasoline and upcoming A3 plug-in hybrid models might have a better future, but the clean diesel is a nightmare for the company for now.

4. Volkswagen Golf TDI

Talking about the praiseworthy cars, here comes another jewel of the Volkswagen's crown. Volkswagen Golf TDI. Yes, this Golf TDI is another hot selling hatch from the German pandora box, also named as the World Car of the Year at the 2013 New York Auto Show. Apart from it the 2015 edition of the Golf also bagged Motor Trend’s Car of the Year title. With all that said, the car is, unfortunately, a part of Dieselgate scandal, specifically the TDI editions of model years from 2010 through 2015.

5. Volkswagen Passat TDI

Finally, we cut down our list to the most premium offering of the Volkswagen hierarchy. The VW Passat TDI is a hot-selling car in the U.S. from the 2012 model year through the 2015 model year. But the same pedagogy of defeat device followed in the Passat as well, putting it under the EPA violation list. After the recent findings, the 2015 Passat has already lost her fame. The car has faced a serious plunge of 16% in sales for 2015 in the U.S market and sources suggest that it will continue to decline.