Buyers of Volkswagen’s clean diesels eligible for a $1300 federal tax credit

Mumbai: The Internal Revenue Service in the US has issued a certification letter affirming that the buyers of the Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen are eligible for a $1,300 federal income tax credit, according to Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen are designed as alternative fuel vehicles with no compromises. Fuel efficiency, performance and convenience come standard with the  Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen models, which is complaint across 50 states in the US. Both models meet the most stringent emissions standards in California. The vehicles are currently available for test drives at local Volkswagen dealers, and will go on sale in August 2008.

While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the Jetta TDI at an economical 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway, Volkswagen actually showed better fuel economy of the TDI. Leading third-party certifier, AMCI, tested the Jetta TDI and found it performed 24 per cent better in real world conditions, achieving 38 mpg in the city and 44 mpg on the highway.

The Jetta TDI models come standard with Volkswagen's prevent and preserve safety system, consisting of numerous standard safety features. Both the Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen include six airbags, with optional rear side airbags, and like all 2009 model year Volkswagen's, Jetta TDI also features standard electronic stabilisation programme (ESP) for added safety.

Also standard for 2009 is Volkswagen's Carefree Maintenance Programme, which is free of charge for the scheduled maintenance described in the vehicle's maintenance booklet for the length of the new vehicle limited Warranty - three years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first.

Volkswagen of America, Inc recently announced electronic stability programme (ESP) as standard equipment on all its 2009 vehicles. As a result, Volkswagen is one of the only original equipment manufacturers to offer an electronic stability control system on their entire product line – ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) deadline requiring vehicles in the 2012 model year to include stability control systems. Volkswagen's ESP technology works in conjunction with anti-lock brakes and helps reduce loss of control and rollovers to avoid crashes. NHTSA predicts nearly 10,000 lives could be saved each year if automakers included stability systems as standard equipment.

Founded in 1995, Volkswagen of America, Inc is the North American subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, Germany.