Daimler has announced that it will recall around three million cars in Europe to reduce diesel emission issues, a move that has been termed by the company as a “voluntary service action”. It has been revealed that Daimler will provide new software for cars running with OM 607, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engines, which are mainly used in Mercedes A-class and B-class models, to lower their output of nitrogen oxide.
The decision follows recent allegations of cheating emission tests levelled against the company in Germany. The brand's diesel technology was called into question last week when German transport ministry officials met with Daimler representatives, including head of technology development, Ola Kaellenius.
The company has announced that the process, due to cost about 220 million euros, is being “carried out in close cooperation with the German regulatory authorities” and allows engineers to add newer, more effective technology to the existing EU5 and EU6 engines. The process will take about one hour per car, with the first cars receiving updates in the coming weeks. The final cars are predicted to be completed late in 2018.
Daimler hopes that this move will “strengthen confidence” among customers in the long term. The brand has also revealed that it is planning to introduce cleaner and more efficient range of diesel engines in near future.