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75% of Diesesl Flunk French Emission Check
France’s environmental ministry says about 75% of 86 diesel-powered models it tested exceeded their allowable carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides limits by at least 20%.
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France’s environmental ministry says about 75% of 86 diesel-powered models it tested exceeded their allowable carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides limits by at least 20%.
The agency says its 10-month analysis does not prove manufacturers such as Fiat, Ford, Nissan, Opel, Renault and Volvo purposely rigged the vehicles to evade emission standards. But it adds it “cannot rule out the possibility,” and recommends further investigation.
Manufacturers have told French officials the so-called defeat devices are used to protect the engines under certain environmental conditions as permitted under EU regulations. Critics say some carmakers have stretched the allowance beyond reasonable limits to bolster performance and fuel economy ratings.
Volkswagen AG has admitted it developed cheater software used to manipulate emissions from 11 million diesels sold worldwide. The French ministry says it lacked sufficient access to vehicle source code to determine whether other carmakers have done the same.
But skeptical environmentalist groups point out that the French government owns 20% of Renault and opine the state may be reluctant to push for penalties.
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