March 29, 2024
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New VW diesel models banned for sale in Maine

PORTLAND – Maine Volkswagen dealers won’t be able to sell diesel versions of the Golf, Jetta, Passat and Touareg for the next three years because they don’t meet California emissions standards.

Maine adopted the California standards in 2000, but this is the first time a car will be unavailable for sale here because it is not California-certified.

The restriction applies to new cars, or those with less than 7,500 miles on their odometers. The cars feature the turbo direct injection, or TDI, diesel engine.

Consumers can still drive to New Hampshire to purchase one of the cars and drive it back to Maine for registration. And they can still buy a used model here in Maine.

“We’re not banning these vehicles by any means,” said Ron Severance of the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Air Quality.

Severance said it was

Volkswagen’s choice not to bring the TDI vehicles up to California standards.

But Maine’s auto dealers, who worry their business will motor south, and fans of diesel cars are not happy.

“You can drive all over the state with this technology, but we can’t sell it,” Tom Brown of the Maine Auto Dealers Association said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Bill Sowles, owner of the Morong Falmouth Volkswagen dealership, said cars outfitted with TDI engines account for 10 percent of his business. They are popular with commuters and people who live in rural parts of Maine because they can get up to 50 miles per gallon.

Sowles is convinced he’ll lose some of his regular customers to out-of-state dealerships.

“The diesel customer is kind of in their own cult, if you will,” he said. “They will drive anywhere to get a diesel. They really want these cars.”

The Volkswagen TDI engine passed every emission standard except for nitrogen oxide. Rather than improve the technology to bring it into compliance, Volkswagen decided to wait until low-sulfur fuel is introduced in 2007. Low-sulfur fuel burns cleaner and will make the entire issue go away.

The result: Volkswagen diesel models for 2004, 2005 and 2006 are verboten in Maine.

William Lord, a diesel fan from Cape Porpoise, has collected the 150 signatures he needs to force the state Board of Environmental Protection to consider an exemption for the Volkswagen TDIs. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15 in Augusta.


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