Volkswagen Halts Sales Due to Emissions Scandal

Tell me it isn't true. The Auto Industry takes it on the chin again as another auto manufacturer admits to an egregious cover up, this time for violating U.S. Emissions standards.

The culprit is Volkswagen, and if you own one,or may have been contemplating buying one, you might think again. The German automaker has halted sales of the models affected by the emissions-cheating scandal that came to light Friday.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that Volkswagen installed software on 482,000 diesel cars sold in the U.S. that allowed them to circumvent emissions tests. The company's CEO has ordered a sales halt for those diesel models and apologized. He's pledged to cooperate fully with federal officials and has ordered an independent investigation of his own.

According to USA Today, the violations could expose Volkswagen — the world's largest vehicle manufacturer through the first six months of 2015 — to up to $18 billion in federal fines if the EPA assesses the maximum possible penalty of $37,500 per vehicle.

The violations could  invite charges of false marketing by regulators, a vehicle recall and payment to car owners, either voluntarily or through lawsuits. Volkswagen advertised the cars under the "Clean Diesel" moniker.

Yikes! Better look elsewhere for awhile, and maybe stick to gas.