BMW Diesels Under Heat Despite EPA Approval

The sale of the new 2017 BMW Diesel vehicles have been delayed because they needed to wait for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval. Though the EPA has already given it a go, more delays are expected as BMW is under heat with some federal agencies in North America.

AutoGuide reports that until this is resolved, the sales of BMW diesels in the U.S. will not begin. The Magazine recently interviewed BMW spokesman Hector Arellano-Belloc. He said: “Currently BMW is still pending additional agencies approvals. As a result, production of these models will commence once homologation has been finalised.”

“BMW is pleased that all MY2017 BMW diesel models (328d Sedan, 328d Sports Wagon, X3 xDrive28d, X5 xDrive35d) have successfully completed EPA testing and certification process,” Arellano-Belloc said. This may still be a good sign that things are going well despite the delay.

BMW kept mum about which particular agencies are scrutinising their diesels. They also didn’t identify the reason for the hold up. Possible agencies include the California Air Resources Board (CARB) which is a major emissions regulator in the U.S. However, the CARB website already shows that all BMW diesels for the U.S. market have received their approval certification.

It remains unknown which regulatory body is holding the release of the 2017 BMW diesels. Stay tuned for more updates.