[Mohan Mathew A]

I have checked my VIN on the VW global website and it says it is not affected. Somehow i am not sure as i feel it is probably not updated with our VINs and might be giving a default answer for all the VINs which is not updated by the company, doesn't necessary mean it is not affected.

Meanwhile in the indian website there is a link newly put up. Below is the link

http://www.volkswagen.co.in/en/tools...r-notice2.html

[sandeep108]

The very pertinent point that everybody including VW is concerned about that this was very clearly INTENTIONAL by VW. If so, such a corporation and all its executives involved in such a fraud must be brought to book. It not only affects their customers but unrelated public and life - both human and animal since extra pollutants are spewn into the air.

Why would then such a company even bother to stand by it's customers. In fact recently the new CEO of VW admitted that this scandal may well be existential for VW, i.e. VW may be driven to bankruptcy or shut down. Poor engineering, maintenance, etc. is another matter but intentionally cheating and that too on pollution norms that affect unrelated life is simply unacceptable on any level.

[aniketi]

To be frank, I was dreaming of owning VW Jetta down the line in 2017-18. I was basically planning for buying a used Jetta as it makes lot of more sense instead of buying one brand new. Its a very nice car & looks classy. But with this incident somehow all my dream is getting vanished day by day. I am a very straight forward guy & don't like to trouble anyone or don't like to cheat anyone. I want to live my own life in my style without troubling anyone or cheating anyone. I guess most of the people here are of the same opinion. But with this news, I feel that VW has cheated all world, which is not a good sign at all. They must have done cheating in India as well, i am damn sure about it. So I am not very hopeful now of buying something from VW or any of its sister concerned company. Cheating is cheating, I will never tolerate that.

For me bye bye VW, I am not buying any of your polluting cars.

[lamborghini]

Honestly - as an owner of two VWAG 2.0TDi's, such intentional cheating definitely reduces my value of the brand.
VWAG needs to realize that we have bought their vehicles owing to the goodwill created by their brands, and the claimed efficiency of the engines was one of the key decision makers (at least in the case of the Laura/Octy/Jetta) - but if they are so willing to compromise on ethics, it makes me wonder what else they've lied about, and if they actually care about their consumers (in India, I doubt they do anyways).

Anywho - I think current owners of VWAG are more stressed about receiving good service & a reliable vehicle than if the vehicle will pass the next PUC Check up

[alpha1]

I would lap 'em up.
Imagine getting to drive a 100 bhp vehicle (labelled and tested so to meet environmental stipulations) that actually delivers 120 bhp!

Or imagine getting to drive a 100 bhp vehicle that is able to churn out 25 kmpl (because it pollutes slightly higher than what it was certified for).

Come on t-bhp folks, let us not act prudes here. We all know about free flow (increase noise pollution), cat con removal (increased HC and CO pollution), EGR bypass (NOx pollution)

[nitinbose]

Is there any update from ARAI on this?

"India: Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has been instructed by the Indian government to investigate if vehicles from Volkswagen had circumvented Indian laws and regulations on vehicle emission testing. Ambuj Sharma, additional secretary at the Ministry of Heavy Industry, said: "ARAI has been asked to submit its report within a week."[91][92] The Indian Foundation of Transport, Research and Training (IFTRT) has demanded a probe into Volkswagen's Confirmation of Production process for vehicles sold in India.[93] Government of India has extended the deadline for the submission of the test results to the end of October 2015 (after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to India starting from 4 October 2015)" Source: Wikipedia

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by deepfusion

Simple test, on a highway, drive continuously behind a vw diesel for a fair distance, and then drive behind another brand for a fair distance. The soot released from the tail pipes will clearly indicate which is better.

I have not seen any noticeable smoke from VW cars under city/highway driving. During hard acceleration, yes, sometimes - but that is seen in almost all diesels, across manufacturers. I feel, visual inspection may not be the best way to judge this issue of emission violation.

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by AirWind

The scandal was to bye pass the stringent regulations in the US and doesn't necessarily have any impact on India.

Originally Posted by mayankk

DO our standards really vary 10-40 times from US/EU standards?

Originally Posted by mayankk

No.They are. At least stringent enough for VW to flunk magnificently if the same engines are using the same bypass here.
CO NOx HC+NOx PM
Euro6 0.5 0.08 0.17 0.005
BS4 0.5 0.25 0.3 0.025


Looking at those figures, you'd be better off with ANYTHING other than a VW.

If you remember, Harley Davidson had to delay launching their bikes in India because they could not meet the emission norms. The same bikes were being sold in the US. This means the emission norms in India are more stringent than the US.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Is there any update from ARAI on this?

"India: Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has been instructed by the Indian government to investigate if vehicles from Volkswagen had circumvented Indian laws and regulations on vehicle emission testing.

Remember we are still on BS-III/IV which I will be very surprised, if these have been infracted. Europe is on Euro-V and possibly VI, while the US is even stricter demanding the same from Diesel and Petrol.

[arunphilip]

"India: Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has been instructed by the Indian government to investigate if vehicles from Volkswagen had circumvented Indian laws and regulations on vehicle emission testing."

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Remember we are still on BS-III/IV which I will be very surprised, if these have been infracted. Europe is on Euro-V and possibly VI, while the US is even stricter demanding the same from Diesel and Petrol.

Why let common sense and reason get in the way of a good old witch-hunt

That said, it would be good for ARAI to check and confirm that VW is in fact not exceeding the BS-IV norms. If anything, it'll hopefully bring to light just how much behind the curve we are on pollution norms (and a look up at our skies will desperately remind us just how much improvement we need).

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

If you remember, Harley Davidson had to delay launching their bikes in India because they could not meet the emission norms. The same bikes were being sold in the US. This means the emission norms in India are more stringent than the US.

Ah, the mango incident!
That was more because we didn't have the relevant emission standards, wasnt it?
And anyway, reinforces the point that its a misconception that even failing vehicles abroad can clear our tests with flying colors.

[StarrySky]

I do not own a VW car, but I drive a diesel Skoda (company lease). It has an engine that has so far not been identified as having any emission issues.

- I do not plan to give up the car at this time. I do not need to worry about resale (company lease) and I'm currently undecided whether I will try to buy the car at the end of the lease period. This has nothing to do with emissions.

- If and when I need to choose a new car, I am open to choosing a diesel car from VW group if it meets my budget and other considerations.

[neeravnaik]

Apart from the cheating and loss of brand value there is another reason to be vary of VW now. The scandal has blown up sky high and potential damages itself that company would have to pay would be considerable. Add to that the huge loss of sales that will inevitably follow this across most major markets. All this will potentially put the whole group into serious financial crisis.

This is very likely to impact their investment and support to market like India in terms of service, providing parts etc. So even if their vehicles are good owners may face long term trouble if the company faces tough time.

Big question is how will they handle this situation and is the group big and strong enough to not go under.

It is very prudent to think twice about owning a VW car for some time

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Remember we are still on BS-III/IV which I will be very surprised, if these have been infracted. Europe is on Euro-V and possibly VI, while the US is even stricter demanding the same from Diesel and Petrol.

Very true. If checked against our BS-IV, even without the software the cars might pass the emission tests. Just like how cars without any safety are sold with no restriction, since they comply our current laws, these cars can be sold without any problems here.
But the bigger problem is the world-wide negative publicity they have got. Even if the cars comply all the local laws, now people would fear many things before buying:
a) What if the company had cheated something bigger, affecting my own safety?
b) What will be the resale value of the car, considering that the company's cars are widely known to have "cheat devices"?
c) What if the company goes into some sort of restructuring (Acquisition / Merger / Leaves country), and I cannot find any support for the car?
d) Will insurance company honour my claims? Will there be VW around to cover the warrenty?

All these will put off the prospective buyers. There will be a lot of booking cancellations, and many would shift to other manufacturers, even though the car satisfies all the local laws.
The actual loss for VW would be much more than what will be settled in the US courts, and any other law suits arising.

[achyu]

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

Very true. If checked against our BS-IV, even without the software the cars might pass the emission tests. Just like how cars without any safety are sold with no restriction, since they comply our current laws, these cars can be sold without any problems here.
But the bigger problem is the world-wide negative publicity they have got. Even if the cars comply all the local laws, now people would fear many things before buying:
a) What if the company had cheated something bigger, affecting my own safety?
b) What will be the resale value of the car, considering that the company's cars are widely known to have "cheat devices"?
c) What if the company goes into some sort of restructuring (Acquisition / Merger / Leaves country), and I cannot find any support for the car?
d) Will insurance company honour my claims? Will there be VW around to cover the warrenty?

All these will put off the prospective buyers. There will be a lot of booking cancellations, and many would shift to other manufacturers, even though the car satisfies all the local laws.
The actual loss for VW would be much more than what will be settled in the US courts, and any other law suits arising.

You have hit the nail on the head, hybridpetrol.

These were the exact questions that were running in my head. Even though I had booked a Vento TSI, the doubts and questions persisted irrespective of the type of engine. I cancelled my booking and went ahead with my dream of buying an SUV - the XUV5OO. Got the car in 5 days.