It’s not guilt by association, since no government testing has proved that BMW’s diesel-powered vehicles are anything but legal when it comes to emissions testing. “Delay by association” may be a better description. Autoguide.com reports that BMW has confirmed that release for sale of its diesel vehicles is being delayed by federal agencies pending testing and certification.
Ever since last year’s revelation that Volkswagen cheated on emissions testing of its diesel vehicles, testing agencies in many countries have taken a harder look at all diesel vehicles, especially, it seems, those made in Volkswagen’s home country of Germany.
BMW spokesperson Hector Arellano-Belloc explained, “In light of recent events, agencies are taking longer to certify diesel models for the U.S., but there has been no indication that BMW’s diesel models do not meet all requisite emission standards or that there is a defeat device in the vehicle.”
Arellano-Belloc described the delays as being caused by “testing logistics” and that production of affected vehicles would begin once the company received final certification. Production of BMW diesel X5s intended for the U.S. market was delayed in late 2015 due to the Volkswagen scandal, and numerous customers waited weeks and sometimes months longer for the X5s they ordered to arrive from BMW’s manufacturing facility in South Carolina.
In its U.S. diesel fleet, BMW currently offers the X5 35d, X3 28d, 535d, and 328d. About 6 percent of U.S. BMW sales are diesel-powered Sedans and Sports Activity Vehicles. Earlier this year, BMW let it be known that because of the VW scandal, it would not be sending the diesel 7 Series to the U.S. that most other global markets will receive.
Diesel BMWs have a faithful following in the U.S. That faith may be tested as right now, BMW does not have an estimated date for when diesel production at Spartanburg and diesel imports from other BMW plants will resume.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of BMW AG.]
