— The Mexican Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) fined Volkswagen $8.9 million (168 million pesos) for importing and selling cars without proper certification.
Mexican environmental authorities accuse VW of "willful misconduct" by violating two standards that must be met before vehicles can be sold.
The first, NOM-042-SEMARNAT-2003, establishes the maximum permissible emission limits for total hydrocarbons or non-methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides as well as hydrocarbon evaporative emissions from the fuel system of vehicles.
The second standard, NOM-079-SEMARNAT-1994, establishes the maximum permissible limits of noise levels.
Mexico says a total of 45,494 model year 2016 Volkswagen vehicles weren't properly certified to meet either standard.
PROFEPA says the following VW brands are included in the penalty:
- Audi - 4,574
- Bentley - 2
- Porsche - 375
- Seat - 2,956
- Volkswagen - 37,587
Mexican authorities discovered the problems when they inspected the vehicles on December 10, 2015.
Regulators say they established the $8.9 million penalty based on the economic capacity of Volkswagen, economic benefit to VW, the seriousness of the offenses and their intended action.
Mexico says the penalty is separate from an ongoing investigation by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources and the Mexican Petroleum Institute. That investigation involves 2009-2015 VW vehicles equipped with emissions "defeat devices."
