U.S. Approves Fixes for Another 24,000 Audi V-6 Diesels

Federal and California officials have approved emission control updates to bring another 24,000 of Audi AG’s 3.0-liter V-6 diesels into regulatory compliance.

Investigators found in 2015 that roughly 80,000 engines were equipped with illegal software that evaded emission standards. The cheating was discovered during a probe of so-called defeat devices added to 475,000 4-cylinder diesels sold in the U.S. by Audi’s parent, Volkswagen AG. VW agreed a year ago to a deal to fix or buy back the affected V-6 engines.

Regulators have approved Audi’s use of updated software and replacement hardware to fix diesel-powered 2014-2016 model Audi A6, A7 and A8 sedans and Q5 midsize crossover vehicles in the U.S.

Audi won approval in October for similar repairs to 38,000 of the engines sold in the U.S. That agreement covers three groups of diesel-powered crossover vehicles: 2013-2015 model Audi Q7s and 2013-2016 Porsche Cayennes and VW Touaregs.

Audi also agreed in July to a launch a global recall of some 850,000 of its V-6 and V8 diesels to remove software that may cut off emission controls during real-world driving. Audi estimates the fix will lower nitrogen oxide emissions about 20%.