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EU’s Industry Commissioner: “Diesels Are Finished”

The Volkswagen diesel scandal triggered a “breakthrough moment” among European consumers about clean air that will mean the demise of diesels, says European Union Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska.
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The Volkswagen diesel scandal triggered a “breakthrough moment” among European consumers about clean air that will mean the demise of diesels.

So says Elzbieta Bienkowska, the EU’s industry commissioner and a harsh critic of how carmakers and EU member state have handled the diesel emission crisis. Describing diesels as a “technology of the past, she declares that “diesels are finished.”

Bienkowska attributes growing consumer aversion toward diesels to “arrogant” European carmakers who for the past two years have denied the significance of their manipulation of diesel emissions. Now, she tells Bloomberg, consumers realize “we will never have completely clean diesel cars.”

Last week the European Commission won support from EU member states for centralized powers that would replace state-level enforcement, enable the EC to order recalls and levy hefty fines against carmakers who violate the regulations.

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