US regulators approve sale of 2017 diesel models

Company accused of configuring models in to evade emissions testing

WASHINGTON: US environmental regulators have approved the sale of 2017 diesel models of the Jeep Cherokee SUV and light-duty Ram 1,500 pickup, auto giant Fiat Chrysler said Friday.

The move allows the company to begin selling diesel versions of the popular vehicles that US officials had refused to allow on the road over concerns about the emissions technology.

The announcement follows a lawsuit brought in May by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which accused the company of configuring models in earlier years to evade emissions testing, which Fiat Chrysler denied.

The Italian-controlled FCA said Friday the go-ahead to sell the new diesel models was the result of months of talks with the EPA and California’s Air Resources Board. The updates for the 2017 diesel models will require only software calibrations and no changes to hardware, FCA said in a statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2017.

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