Germany Accuses Audi of Cheating on Diesel Emission Tests
Germany’s transport ministry has asked Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit to recall about 24,000 A7 and A8 large diesel-powered sedans sold in Europe, claiming the cars were rigged to evade emission limits.
#regulations
Germany’s transport ministry has asked Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit to recall about 24,000 A7 and A8 large diesel-powered sedans sold in Europe, claiming the cars were rigged to evade emission limits.
The request marks the first time Audi has been accused by its home country of manipulating diesel emissions, according to Reuters.
The ministry says affected 2009-2013 models with V-6 or V-8 diesels begin to emit twice the legal limit of nitrogen oxides—a pollutant linked to respiratory issues—if the steering wheel is turned more than 15°. Regulators say such behavior suggests the engines were equipped with illegal software that detects when an emission test is being conducted.
A source tells Reuters that Audi blames the non-compliant behavior on an error in the interaction between engine and transmission control software. Audi issued a recall for the cars, 14,000 of which are registered in Germany, on Thursday. But Reuters says software updates won’t begin until July.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Electric Pickups, Flying Taxis, and Auto Industry Transformation
Ford goes for vertical integration, DENSO and Honeywell take to the skies, how suppliers feel about their customers, how vehicle customers feel about shopping, and insights from a software exec
-
TRW Multi-Axis Acceleration Sensors Developed
Admittedly, this appears to be nothing more than a plastic molded part with an inserted bolt-shaped metal component.
-
Things to Know About Cam Grinding
By James Gaffney, Product Engineer, Precision Grinding and Patrick D. Redington, Manager, Precision Grinding Business Unit, Norton Company (Worcester, MA)