The Environmental Protection Agency’s charges against automaker Fiat Chrysler are “unadulterated hogwash,” said the company’s CEO, vowing to work with President-elect Trump’s administration to resolve the allegations.
On Thursday morning, the EPA said the automaker violated the law by including emission cheating software in about 104,000 of its 3.0-liter diesel Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks and Jeep Grand Cherokees.
Sergio Marchionne, the head of the company, was infuriated by EPA’s charges that it violated the Clean Air Act by not disclosing the emissions software, calling the notice of violation that the agency sent the company “absolute nonsense” and “unadulterated hogwash.”
Fiat Chrysler in a more detailed press release said it was “disappointed” that the EPA chose to issue its notice of violation Thursday that showed the company included illegal emissions control technology in its 2014-16 model year 3.0-liter diesel engines.
The company said it “intends to work with the incoming administration to present its case and resolve this matter fairly and equitably and to assure the EPA and [the company’s U.S.] customers that the company’s diesel-powered vehicles meet all applicable regulatory requirements.”
Marchionne refused to draw a comparison between Fiat Chrysler and the bigger emissions violator, Volkswagen. “My biggest fear is people will start drawing parallels,” the CEO said on Thursday. The number of affected Fiat Chrysler vehicles is dwarfed by Volkswagen’s massive violation from a year ago that affected nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles.
On Wednesday, EPA fined VW $4.3 billion and indicted six company officials on criminal charges for its emissions violations, in which Volkswagen admitted guilt to three of the criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit fraud against the American people.
The FBI arrested one of the VW officials on Saturday while he was enjoying a vacation in Miami.
