Audi, VW Halt Sales on Six More Diesel Models

Hours after Porsche halted sales for the Cayenne Diesel, Volkswagen and Audi have followed suit with six more diesel models. One of them wasn't named in the EPA's recent allegations of new cheating by the Volkswagen Group, which includes all three German brands.

Related: More on the VW Diesel Recall

Volkswagen and Audi say they told dealers Tuesday night to halt sales on six models:

• 2014-2016 Audi A6 3.0 TDI
• 2014-2016 Audi A7 3.0 TDI
• 2014-2016 Audi A8 L 3.0 TDI
• 2014-2016 Audi Q5 3.0 TDI
• 2013-2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI
• 2013-2016 Volkswagen Touareg TDI

All six cars have the Volkswagen Group's 3.0-liter diesel V-6. The sales stoppage applies to new 2015-2016 models and any certified pre-owned cars from the entire span.

The Q7 wasn't implicated by regulators this week, nor were many of the model years for the whole group, including any of the 2014 or 2015 Audis. The EPA told Cars.com late Monday that it's still investigating "earlier model years" of the implicated cars.

Audi is "not entirely sure why some of the models weren't mentioned" by the EPA, Audi spokesman Brad Stertz said. "We just took all of the cars that were in the Gen-II engine and put them on hold."

For luxury shoppers, the stoppage shouldn't affect much vehicle availability for the A6, A7, A8 and Q5. The diesel V-6 accounts for scant A8 new-car inventory on Cars.com and only about 10 percent of the new A6, A7 and Q5 listings. For the Touareg and Q7, however, the stoppage could impact a lot more: TDI models account for 21 percent of the Q7 SUVs and nearly 60 percent of Touareg SUVs.

The Q7 skips the 2016 model year ahead of a 2017 redesign. That car will also have a diesel 3.0-liter V-6, but it isn't due until late next year -- a point at which Audi hopes to have the situation sorted out, Stertz said.

Disagreements With Regulators

The EPA alleges that Volkswagen's new 3.0-liter diesel engine has a "defeat device" that evades emissions testing, much like the four-cylinder diesels involved in the ongoing emissions crisis at Volkswagen Group.

The automaker is still "trying to figure out how the regulators came to that conclusion," Stertz told us.

At issue is an "auxiliary emissions control device," or AECD, in the 3.0-liter diesel V-6 that's "basically a temperature control strategy for the diesel system," Stertz said.

Stertz also said it's his understanding that the Volkswagen Group is "still trying to arrange" a meeting with regulators to "fully explain how this auxiliary emissions control device, the AECD, functions in the 3.0-liter."

Used-Car Sales Still Possible

The sales stoppage affects new and certified pre-owned cars, but there's technically nothing to stop dealers from decertifying a used TDI model and selling it as an ordinary used car. Volkswagen is recommending that dealers avoid that, spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said.

Still, dealerships are "independent businesses, [so] we cannot tell them not to," Ginivan added. "The EPA is saying they're legal and safe to drive, and they can be re-sold, so we are putting the stop-sale where we can."

Stertz said it's the same situation for Audi, which also cannot bar a dealer from decertifying a diesel car to sell it.

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