EPA: VW Used Cheater Software in Larger Diesel Engines Too

Volkswagen AG’s use of illegal software to help 482,000 of its 4-cylinder diesel engines cheat on emission tests in the U.S. extends to the company’s V-6 diesels too, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency says more than 10,000 Audi, Porsche and VW models equipped with the larger diesels also are equipped with “defeat device” software to manipulate exhaust emissions.

VW insists the V-6 engines contain no software used to “alter emission characteristics in a forbidden manner.” But tests by EPA and the California Air Resources Board indicate otherwise.

The noncompliant V-6 diesels were used in 2014 model VW Touareg SUVs, 2015 model Porsche Cayenne SUVs and 2016 model Audi Q5 crossovers, A6 and A7 Quattro midsize sedans and A8 and A8L large sedans, according to EPA.

The EPA/CARB investigation shows the V-6 diesels use software that adjusts engine operations to cut nitrogen oxide emissions during tests for that gas. When the NOx test ends, the software instantly switches the engines to a mode that allows them to emit as much as nine times the allowable NOx emissions.

The new disclosure is a heavy blow to VW’s credibility and could prompt EPA to levy harsher fines against the company. The carmaker already faces potential regulatory fines in the U.S. as great as $18 billion for using cheater software in its 4-cylinder diesels.