Guest MINDSETTER™ Caroline Vexler: Volkswagen Heartbreak

Guest MINDSETTER™ Caroline Vexler: Volkswagen Heartbreak

If the American dream of a house in the suburbs and a car in the driveway are the physical symbols of the desire for marriage and stability, then an American’s first car is like a first love. This car is romanticized through the rose-tinted lenses of nostalgia, and the memories of this car are intertwined with the budding emotions of adolescence. There is nothing Americans love more than the notion of freedom, and with a first car the opportunities seem limitless.

My first car was a Clean Diesel Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen.

I loved everything about this car. I loved the cadence of the name “Jetta.” I appreciated how easy it was to drive. I admired its silver-gray color and its odd, elongated shape. I was proud of its diesel engine that got almost 40 miles per gallon on the highway. I learned to drive in this car, the same car my family took on every road trip because of its fuel efficiency, the car in which I learned of my college acceptance, and the car that I drove home from senior prom. Now, like the bitter end of a high school relationship, I feel betrayed and disillusioned.

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Volkswagen‘s Clean Diesel vehicles promised an elegant design, high fuel efficiency, environmental friendliness, and a general sense of fun. They were the cutting edge eco-chic alternative to the boxy Prius. As a result, Volkswagen sold more than 95,000 Clean Diesel vehicles in 2014 alone.

For years, Volkswagen customers have been acting as voluntary advertising agents for the literally too-good-to-be-true vehicles. I was proud of my environmentally considerate, economical vehicle. That Volkswagen was not only able to sell this car, but was able to reap the exponential benefits of its deceit makes the incident all the more infuriating.

Moreover, their willful duplicity has likely compounded the environmental impacts of their Clean Diesel vehicles. This car was advertised as a “green” choice with increased economic efficiency on highway travel. This means that some Clean Diesel customers bought this car specifically for the kind of longer trips my family took. Perversely, our desire to save money and fuel only increased the negative environmental impact. It sickens me to think of the thousands of miles I’ve traveled with toxic smog billowing in my wake.

I am now ashamed to have driven a Clean Diesel vehicle. This is one of the most shocking, flagrant, and deliberate frauds I have seen, and I am angry to have been an unwitting participant.

“We at Volkswagen will do everything to fully regain the trust so many people put in us and do all necessary to avert further damage.”

Estimates for fines that Volkswagen will have to pay in the United States alone for violations of the Clean Air Act are as high as $18 billion. Class action lawsuits and other criminal charges are likely percolating and Volkswagen employees will be subject to intense scrutiny. For many Americans, Volkswagen’s compliance may be enough to stabilize its stocks and reinvent its brand. For me, these measures are insufficient.

Volkswagen is clearly aware the question of trust will define the company for years to come. They need customers like me to continue to be active advocates for the company.

Here is what Volkswagen needs to do to regain my trust:

1. Restore the value of Clean Diesel vehicles

Volkswagen’s Clean Diesel consumers now own cars with a market value that has dropped significantly. Some owners may even feel so strongly about the environmental impact as to render the car unusable. Even if Volkswagen recalls the cars and removes the defeat devices, Clean Diesel owners will still not have what they paid for. Without the defeat devices, the engines will be compliant with EPA standards, but will lose gas mileage and the ability to drive as smoothly.

To remedy this, Volkswagen has two choices. Optimally, they can provide the technology they claimed to have. Since this is unlikely, the only just solution would be for Volkswagen to buy back the vehicles at a fair price or provide monetary compensation.

2. Bring atmospheric impacts to net neutral

Volkswagen needs to find a way to reduce emissions elsewhere in order to balance the scales. Smog is a serious problem in dense urban areas like Beijing and New Delhi, leaving Volkswagen with plenty of opportunity to make amends in a concrete way. Cars in the United States are held to a higher standard for a reason: we value the quality of our air.

3. Prove reliability in all features

High safety ratings played a large part in my family’s decision to purchase a Jetta. If Volkswagen is willing to engage in extreme, highly calculated efforts to deceive the EPA, I am no longer confident in any of Volkswagen’s other certifications. To demonstrate reliability, Volkswagen must now prove that their safety certifications and other advertised features are genuine.

Given the level of willful deceit employed by Volkswagen, extreme steps are warranted in rebuilding brand value – and trust. These actions will not only generate good will amongst Volkswagen customers, but will also steer the company towards embodying the values that it claimed to represent. This is an opportunity for Volkswagen to truly live up to its promises and become the company I once believed it to be.

Caroline Vexler is a member of the Brown University Class of 2017