In MY 2000 the cars passed the first required test so they were built to be sold there in California . But on a supplemental test after they started to be sold CARB claimed they failed . So VW shipped all remaining CA TDI cars to other western states to be sold . A few of the first ones were sold in CA but most of the first run produced to be sold in CA were sent to other places like CO . I saw lots full of them at the beginning of MY 2000 . VW reprogrammed the ECU to over fuel at start up which heated up the emissions controls more quickly so they could pass the stupid CARB retest . So by mid MY 2000 , by the end of Jan 00 they were back on sale new CA .
So as was said they were sold in CA from 1996 to 2003 model years , except for the short period of time they weren't in late fall 1999 ( 2000 MY ) .
And CARB has done nothing positive when it comes to light duty diesels by having their ridiculous useless over stringent emissions rules . These rules were passed when light duty diesels made up less than .1 % of the total fleet on the roads in California . There was no clean air to be found from the adopting of emissions rules that could barely be passed with the fuel we had in the US on cars that no one sold here !!!!!!!!! In case you don't know no auto diesels were sold in CA from 1987 - mid year 1996 , VW sold some diesels in the rest of the states from winter 89 - 92 then none sold here in any state until 96 . No one else sold any auto diesels here in the US from 87 late 99 so I say again ,
Where is the clean air to be found from CARB's rediculiously strict light duty diesel emissions rules on vehicles that no one sold here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! there isn't any is the answer .............
In 2004 those clueless idiots at CARB did again except this time they really did passed rules that there was no way to pass with the dirty fuel we had in the US . So no TDIs were sold new from 2004 to 2009 MYs , they could be bought if they had at least 7,500 miles on the clock when registered in CA . A lot of people from CA bought cars in one of the other 45 states that could sell them . Driven for 7,500 then registered in CA .
In 2006 the emissions rules changed for EPA spec cars but the fuel on sale at the time made it impossible to pass . So VW over produced 06 MY emissioned cars which were sold new until spring of 2008 when the first of the TDI-CRs showed . The 06 Diesel Editions were built in a way , just enough of the car assembled to qualify as a 06 MY car . Over the next 1 3/4 the cars were finished being assembled as they were needed . So many of the 06 Diesel Editions were actually assembled in as late as fall of 07 , sold new as late as March/April of 08 . The first TDI-CR Jetta's went on sale in late summer 08 , 2009 MY cars in all 50 states .
All stupid CARB has done is they have blocked from the US cars like the BluemotionTDIs and similar . A class of cars that are the most efficient cars ever built that have no trouble exceeding 70 mpgUS in everyday driving . Cars that make the current hybrids appear like the bad jokes they really are . If we adopted Euro5 rules today on light duty diesels we could over night raise CAFE by at least 20 points ( 20 mpgs ) . Now that would make our air cleaner from the gas wasters they would replace and make our country more secure from the less crude oil we would waste .
Too bad those idiots at CARB & the EPA can't see the big picture on this