FCA Expects OK for 2017 Diesels Soon
CARS.COM — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is in talks with regulators and hopes to have approval soon to begin selling 2017 diesel versions of its Ram 1500 pickup truck and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.
Related: EPA Alleges FCA Broke the Law on Diesel Emissions
“We are in the midst of a series of pretty intense discussions with both EPA and [the California Air Resources Board] on the certification of the 2017 models for both the Ram 1500 diesel and the Grand Cherokee diesel,” FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said during a conference call on 2016 financial results, according to a report by the Detroit Free Press.
“I think discussions are proceeding well, and I think they are a confirmation of the, certainly the goodwill that’s been established with the regulatory agencies now for a number of years, and it’s something I expect that will continue,” he said.
His comments come just about two weeks after the EPA accused FCA of violating the Clean Air Act with software that allows model-year 2014-16 diesel versions of the Ram 1500 and Grand Cherokee to expel excess nitrogen oxide emissions.
Marchionne said that certification process for the 2017 models also would lead to approval of a software update for compliance by the earlier models under investigation.
In response to the EPA notice of violation for the earlier models, FCA denied that its diesels were faulty and said it looked “forward to the opportunity to meet with the EPA’s enforcement division and representatives of the new administration to demonstrate that FCA U.S.’s emissions control strategies are properly justified and thus are not ‘defeat devices’ under applicable regulations and to resolve this matter expeditiously.”
That was a reference to the “defeat device” software Volkswagen has admitted it intentionally installed on diesel models to cheat on emissions rules by altering performance during testing.
