Is Volkswagen Done with Diesel?

When it comes to scandals of a global scale, Volkswagen definitely knows how to make a splash. Following the incident that saw Volkswagen caught red handed duping emissions tests, its CEO has confirmed that the company is wiping its hands clean of diesel vehicles in the USA.

The announcement was made at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, and saw VW's North American CEO Hinrich Woebcken admit that the company is flirting with the idea of axing diesel vehicles in its American VW line-up. 

The announcement has since been confirmed by VW's global brand chief Herbert Diess, and represents a big transition for the company. Volkswagen’s reputation was seriously tarnished following the ‘Dieselgate Scandal,’ and now the company is struggling to win back consumer trust, and its status as a global automotive leader. 

Yes, no, maybe…

The news follows months of speculation over the company’s plans, with Woebcken reassuring the public that diesels weren’t going to be completely vetoed over the summer, then admitting that “regulations have made diesel harder to do in the US market" in September.

Now, he’s confirmed that diesel engines are on their way out, and that Volkswagen will spend the next few years focussing on an eco-friendly future. This includes engineering environmentally responsible engines, as well as launching a fierce rebranding campaign designed to rebuild its shattered reputation.

Rebranding with a US focus

While the emissions scandal was hugely damaging, Volkswagen has managed to find a silver lining. The crisis has unlocked a unique opportunity for the manufacturer to revaluate its US market strategy, and strengthen its presence as a dominant force on American roads. Long before emissions-test-cheating threw Volkswagen into the spotlight, it was already suffering from a declining market share. Now, the company is reinventing its line-up to meet American tastes, which will be driven by a focus on crossover models, as well as light trucks and electric vehicles.

Volkswagen set to tread water until 2021

Though despite the company’s commitment to reinventing itself, the new look models won’t launch until 2021. Until then, Volkswagen has a lot of ground to cover. In the interim, the company will need to stay afloat, with economic analysts predicting that slashing prices, pioneering eco-innovations and launching a turbulent campaign to win back consumer trust will be at the top of the agenda.

As the iconic German automaker works towards phasing out diesel, the nation itself is pioneering new ways to manage the methane leaks that plague the majority of its biogas facilities. ‘FLIR GF320 Thermal Camera Offers Reliable Gas Leak Detection in Biogas Facilities’ introduces readers to the issue, and explains how affordable gas finding technology like the FLIR GF320 thermal imager is helping to combat the problem.