The increasingly costly Dieselgate is far from being over for the Volkswagen Group and one of the many consequences is the complete withdrawal of turbodiesel engines from United States. Not only that, but they’re actually not coming back for the time being, with Car & Driver saying there are slim chances of ever seeing the TDI badge on the engine cover of a new U.S.-bound VW, Audi, or Porsche in the future.

But diesels are still quite popular in other parts of the world, such as Europe — albeit demand has decreased in recent times. That is why the group is hard at work prepping a new generation of cleaner TDI engines, which have virtually no chances of landing stateside. Audi’s development chief, Peter Mertens, explains:

“I do not believe that Americans in their true belief and heart, their cultural way of driving, are suited to diesel.”

It should be pointed out Mertens is in no way linked to the diesel controversy as he’s new with Audi. Despite the huge debacle concerning TDI engines, he believes diesels can still be clean provided these have the right technology implemented. Interestingly, the man in charge with Audi’s development told C&D that people are relying nowadays on “alternative facts” while forming their opinions about TDIs rather than sticking with the “technical terms and realities.”

The VW Group is trying to move away from the messy scandal by pushing an EV agenda across most of its portfolio, with focus initially being on the VW core brand and Audi. At the same time, the folks from Wolfsburg have made the promise to make not just their diesel engines cleaner, but also the gasoline units by installing particulate filters. The process is starting this month with the 1.4-liter TSI inside the Tiguan and the 2.0-liter TFSI powering the A5. Additional models will follow.

Source: Car & Driver