Volkswagen Announces New Golf GTD Diesel – Hypocrisy or Pragmatism?
[Feb. 19, 2020]
Automakers around the world that offer diesel models, and especially in Europe, where the powertrain has historically enjoyed the highest popularity, are now under tight regulatory scrutiny for emissions compliance. But the company currently most notorious for “dirty diesels” is undoubtedly Volkswagen, whose intricate scheme to game the EPA emissions test and claim compliance with the U.S.’ strict emissions standards sent multiple managers and executives to jail, subsequently got several other OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in hot water, and ultimately resulted in a federally mandated restitution plan that now carries the cheery moniker “Electrify America.” Even now, five years later, VW is still dealing with the aftermath of the scandal, attempting to negotiate a €830 million settlement with owners in Germany.
So it seems a bit puzzling that the company is proudly announcing the introduction of a “GTD” version of its new eighth-generation Golf hatchback. For those of us in North America, the GTD is a diesel version of the performance-oriented Golf GTI dating back more than 35 years in Europe. From the official news release, Volkswagen proudly proclaims: “Once again, Volkswagen will introduce one of the most economical and at the same time sporty compact models to the market with its Golf GTD.” However, it should be noted the short teaser release mentions “emissions” three times, and “cleanest” once, in just three paragraphs and 194 words.
Volkswagen has already pledged that work on any future internal-combustion engines would end in 2026, and as we draw closer to that date, any announcement of new internal-combustion powertrains from the company seems increasingly passé in light of the company’s multi-billion Euro electrification initiative, which the company pledged to double-down on in December 2019.
As earnest as VW’s electrification efforts appear to be, the fact of the matter is, diesels are still popular in Europe (though not as much as they once were), and the company needs current sales to pay for its future ambitions. So there are really two ways to look at this: Volkswagen is being duplicitous and “greenwashing” its image with its talk of future production of millions of EVs while still peddling “dirty” diesels, or VW is simply pragmatically dealing with “managed decline” of the internal combustion engine, offering a historically popular variant in its latest Golf, while work continues apace on its electrification initiatives.
Whether you’re outraged or blasé over the announcement of the eighth-gen Golf GTD, it will probably be of little consequence in two to three years, when there will likely be an announcement of the ID.3 GTE or some other acronym affixed to a high-performance version of its electric hatch.
While Norway, the Netherlands, and other selected markets in Europe are enthusiastically embracing EVs, Germany itself seems particularly resistant to the trend, as if embracing electrification is somehow a capitulation, an admission of failure of its decades of development and fine-tuning of the internal-combustion model. Perhaps the availability of a practical, desirable German-engineered and manufactured alternative to Tesla, the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf, will finally get German car buyers on the EV bandwagon.
(Image courtesy Volkswagen)
Like what you read? Follow us on Google News and like us on Facebook!
