The Volkswagen Group of America submitted its proposal Tuesday to bring Porsches, Audis and Volkswagen cars with six-cylinder, 3.0-liter diesel engines up to California's air quality standards after state regulators found the vehicles were programmed to emit cleaner emissions on government treadmill tests than on the real road.
The California Air Resources Board confirmed it had received VW's plan, but the agency will not comment on any details until further review, said David Clegern, a spokesman for the board. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is conducting a parallel investigation for violations of federal clean air rules, said it had also received the plan.
The problem affects 85,000 cars with 3.0-liter diesel engines sold nationwide between 2009 and 2015, including some Porsche SUVs and Audis that are sold under the Volkswagen Group umbrella. Between 16,000 and 17,000 of those vehicles are operating in California, Clegern said.