U.S. Court Filing Claims Bosch Aided VW Diesel Cheating

Germany’s Robert Bosch GmbH actively aided Volkswagen AG’s efforts to cheat emission tests, according to a new court filing in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

Reuters says the court papers claim Bosch was a “knowing and active participant” for years in helping VW rig 11 million diesels to evade pollution rules. “Bosch played a crucial role in the fraudulent enterprise and profited handsomely from it,” the filing says.

Bosch supplies electronic engine control modules and related software to VW and other carmakers. VW used illegal software for the controllers to turn on emission controls during testing but switch them off under real-world driving conditions.

Bosch has insisted that responsibility for configuring emission control systems lies with the vehicle manufacturer. But investigators in Germany and the U.S. have been looking into Bosch’s relationship with VW for several months. Media reports last autumn said Bosch provided VW with special diesel test software but told the company it would be unlawful to use it in production vehicles.

Reuters reported last November that the U.S. Dept. of Justice had opened a probe into Bosch’s possible role in VW’s cheating scheme. At least one lawsuit has previously been filed in the U.S. that claims Bosch conspired with VW to rig the engines to cheat.