GERMAN CAR MANUFACTURERS COMMITTED FRAUD IN ANTI-POLLUTION SYSTEM
POSTED BY ALICE
In recent times, there are some suspicions concerning several German manufacturers like Daimler and Volkswagen. Apparently, they would manipulate their vehicles’ engines to validate the tests on polluting emissions of their diesel engines. According to the newspaper Der Spiegel, which published an article on the topic last Friday, they are now under threat of a new recall action for some of their diesel vehicles.
How do they fraud?
Apparently, the fraud in the anti-pollution system AdBlue comes from a liquid substance sucking the nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The system of engine management supposedly enables the fluid to be injected in smaller quantities in the catalytic pot. This method would limit its intake between two technical inspections. The newspaper Der Spiegel claims that as a consequence, more polluting gas is released.
Several models suspected
The main model targeted is the Mercedes Benz Vito Tourer of the manufacturer Daimler. But the German federal automobile agency (Kraftfahrt Bundesamt, KBA) suspects other models to be in the same case as well. However, the manufacturer claims there is “no causal connection” on this topic and intends to defend itself “by any legal means” to prove it. It asserts that the engine of the affected vehicles, which were manufactured until the summer of 2016 and delivered by its partner Renault, does not exist on any other Mercedes model.
Volkswagen is also affected by this scandal since the discovery of its manipulation of diesel engines in September 2015 and in this case, more than 11 million vehicles are affected. The car manufacturer actually stopped selling its diesel version of the T6 model but denies the use of these engine manipulation practices.
Source : Alexandre Prevot
Der Spiegel adds that other vehicles are receiving a warning in Europe since the KBA inspectors detected five suspicious computer programs controlling the VUS Macan and the Cayenne model of Porsche; which is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.
The German Federal Administrative Court will make a decision on the 27th of February regarding the traffic bans on various diesel vehicles, which are considered as the most polluting and which therefore threaten several big cities like Düsseldorf and Stuttgart.
Source: AFP
