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Green Car Journal is rescinding awards previously given to Volkswagen and Audi diesel models for Green Car of the Year in wake of the “dieselgate” scandal.

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and 2010 Audi A3 TDI will be stripped of their Green Car of the Year titles after the cars were deemed “ineligible” by the publication. This is the first time in the publication’s history that it had to take back an award.

The cars in question are part of the scandal being known as dieselgate, in which Volkswagen deliberately installed illegal software on its 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engines to make it easier for them to pass emissions testing.

SEE ALSO: Everything You Need to Know About VW’s Diesel Scandal

“Rescinding the Green Car of the Year awards for the VW Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI is unfortunate but appropriate,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal. When asked if he felt cheated by the scandal, Cogan answered, “You ask whether I feel personally cheated. The better question for me, I think, is whether I feel all of us have been cheated. The answer is clearly ‘yes.’ ”

“Audi has won hundreds of races and thousands of awards throughout its history. But we only want to win fair and square,” said Audi of America President Scott Keogh. “Therefore, in light of recent developments, we believe the only right thing to do is to return this important recognition of environmental stewardship. We are determined to compete – and hopefully win – Green Car of the Year awards the proper way in future years.”

Despite all of this, Green Car Journal still stands behind diesel technology as a whole, saying that “this award rescission should not cast a negative light on advanced diesel technology in general.”

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