France Denies It Edited Pollution Report to Shield Renault

France’s environment ministry denies a Financial Times report on Monday that claimed the agency omitted details about a high-polluting Renault diesel engine in its search for evidence of emission test cheating.

France launched a commission earlier this year to look for such illegal software after Volkswagen AG admitted it rigged 11 million vehicles to cheat on emission tests. Renault reiterates that all its vehicles meet regulations and says none uses software designed to evade pollution rules.

The French panel revealed in May that several of the 52 diesel models it had tested to date emitted significantly more nitrogen oxide than allowed by EU pollution standards. The ministry said today that 86 models have now been evaluated.

The probe found no direct proof of cheating. But it did highlight Europe’s elastic rules about emission performance. For example, carmakers are allowed to configure their diesels to switch off emission controls if necessary to protect the engine. Critics say manufacturers have taken advantage of that loophole by relaxing emission controls unnecessarily.

The French commission did find suspicious behavior of the emission controls for the diesel engine in Renault’s Captur sporty crossover vehicle, according to three unidentified members of the panel who spoke to the FT. They complained the details weren’t included in the report, suggesting the government's 20% stake in Renault may have been responsible.