Volkswagen Group is planning to sell compressed-natural gas (CNG) cars in the United States, subject to government approval, reports The Detroit News.
The automaker is urging the government to do more to support CNG refueling. The company said it has talked to the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
Currently, only Honda Motor is selling a CNG passenger car in the U.S. The company has sold about 2,000 vehicles.
“We will have more CNG (vehicles), because we have a lot of natural gas worldwide — even in the U.S.,” Heinz-Jakob Neusser, head of powertrain development at VW, told reporters in a roundtable discussion at the Frankfurt Auto Show. “Volkswagen is recommending for the U.S. to bring CNG to the passenger car market.”
Jonathan Browning, who heads VW in the United States, said that the company is ready to selling CNG-powered cars in U.S., but it needs more infrastructure support.
“We’re looking for the signal that it’s supported from a regulatory point of view and there’s some degree of infrastructure available,” said Browning. “It’s a relative low cost step toward a significant emissions benefit.”
Source: The Detroit News
