VW's 3.0 diesel engines also affected by emissions scandal

Volkswagen Group has admitted that its 3.0-litre diesel engines are also affected by the widening emissions scandal - potentially affecting another 85,000 vehicles worldwide.

 

Reuters reports that officials from Volkswagen and Audi admitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency this week that vehicles with those engines also contained 'auxiliary emissions control equipment' that was not reported to the US authorities. It is understood that this latest admission affects cars from the 2009-2016 model years.

 

The EPA had alleged earlier this month that VW's 3.0-litre V6 engine was also cheating in emissions tests, something the company had initially denied. The EPA says that NOx emissions on the affected vehicles are up to nine times legal limits. It has identified the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi A6, Audi A7, Audi A8, Audi A8L and Audi Q5 as being potentially affected.

 

Speaking to Reuters, Audi spokesman Brad Stertz said that while the auxiliary emissions control software is 'legal' in Europe, Audi did not "properly notify regulators" of the device.

 

Sterz said: "We are willing to take another crack at reprogramming to a degree that the regulators deem acceptable." He also said that the cost of rectifying the software would be in the "double digits millions of euros."

 

Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the Office for EPA's Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said: "VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law that protects clean air for all Americans.

 

"All companies should be playing by the same rules. EPA, with our state, and federal partners, will continue to investigate these serious matters, to secure the benefits of the Clean Air Act, ensure a level playing field for responsible businesses, and to ensure consumers get the environmental performance they expect."

 

The EPA documentation alleges that the affected cars have "software in the electronic control module of these vehicles that senses when the vehicle is being tested for compliance with EPA emissions standards. When the vehicle senses that it is undergoing a federal emissions test procedure, it operates in a low NOx 'temperature conditioning' mode. Under that mode, the vehicle meets emission standards.

 

"At exactly one second after the completion of the initial phases of the standard test procedure, the vehicle immediately changes a number of operating parameters that increase NOx emissions and indicates in the software that it is transitioning to 'normal mode' where emissions of NOx increase up to nine times the EPA standard, depending on the vehicle and type of driving conditions," said an EPA statement.

 

"In other tests where the vehicle does not experience driving conditions similar to the start of the federal test procedure, the emissions are higher from the start, consistent with 'normal mode.'”

 

VW executives could face jail sentences

 

Executives in the UK could be imprisoned for up to 10 years for their part in the emissions scandal, secretary of state for transport Patrick McLoughlin has revealed.

 

Responding to enquiries from Louise Ellman MP, who chairs the Commons’ Transport Committee, McLoughlin revealed that the department for transport (DfT) could prosecute VW for providing “materially false” type approval information under the Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2009 - an offence that is liable for an unlimited fine.

 

He added that the Competition and Markets Authority could launch action under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for unfair commercial practices, leaving VW liable for an unlimited fine or two years’ imprisonment, or both.

 

Finally, he added that the Serious Fraud Office may prosecute VW for making a gain from false representations, an offence under the Fraud Act 2006. This subject to a maximum 10 years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.

 

In the wide-ranging letter, McLoughlin also confirmed that every other manufacturer type approved in the UK had now written to him confirming they have not been involved in any cheating of the testing system, and he made it clear that the government's primary focus was to ensure that buyers of affected cars were not materially affected. As such, he reported he had sought reassurances from VW that cars would be fixed without affecting performance by the end of 2016, and made it clear that VW would be liable for any backdated fines.

 

McLoughlin added that there are “no specific plans” to change MOT emission tests at the present time, but he admitted that he may use the tests to monitor whether owners of affected vehicles have the fixes put in place.

 

He also outlined further details of the UK government's independent testing of vehicles, to verify figures. While stressing that such tests were at an early stage, and making it clear VW would pay for them, he added that the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), which is responsible for vehicle type approval, is working closely with its French and German counterparts to retest vehicles from a variety of other manufacturers in order to avoid a duplication of effort. He said the results would be reported in the spring