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Audi Faces Fresh Emissions Cheating Scandal, U

Audi Faces Fresh Emissions Cheating Scandal

In the past few weeks, Volkswagen, its dealers, and its customers could embark to see the light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal.

It might be an oncoming train.

Reuters and other outlets have reported that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has found a fresh, different defeat device in the transmission software of some Audi vehicles.

Audi A6, A8, and Q5 Implicated So Far

However the utter list of vehicles that the software is allegedly installed in is yet unknown, the report suggests that it was installed until last May in Audi A6, A8, and Q5 gasoline and diesel models tooled with the AL five hundred fifty one automatic transmission. Neither Volkswagen nor regulators have acknowledged or publically discussed the fresh accusations. It`s the very first time that gasoline engines have been implicated in the emissions scandal.

How the Cheat Software Works

The software reportedly senses when the front wheels are turned. Since there are no steering inputs during emissions testing, the vehicle would recognize that it was being tested and operate in a mode that produces less carbon dioxide (CO2) than it would under real-world conditions.

However the cheat software was found by U.S. regulators, it could have broader implications in Europe, where regulations concentrate more on CO2 emissions than the nitrogen oxides (NOx) that U.S. regulators stringently control. CO2 is a greenhouse gas, while nitrogen oxides form smog.

Another Scandal for the VW Group

In the previous diesel emissions scandal, the vehicles would emit nitrogen oxides at rates far in excess of allowable boundaries when driven outside of the testing cycles. That scandal affected about 550,000 vehicles in the U.S., and Volkswagen recently lodged with CARB, other state authorities, and the Environmental Protection Agency for $14.7 billion. Much of that will be spent for VW to buy back or modify affected vehicles, and compensate owners.

The use of such «defeat devices» is barred by regulation. According to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag and reported in the Wall Street Journal, CARB technicians were able to switch the amount of CO2 emissions coming from the tailpipe by simply turning the steering wheel during testing.

Worse, the German newspaper reports, are the minutes of a two thousand thirteen meeting where senior Audi and Volkswagen officials allegedly openly discussed the software, called a «cycle-optimized shift program.»

How the fresh emissions scandal will affect the ongoing negotiations inbetween Volkswagen and regulators over Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche Three.0-liter diesel engines is unknown.

Last week was a busy one for the carmaker. Following the settlement with regulators and customers who purchased vehicles tooled with Two.0-liter diesel engines, the company has began its TDI buyback program. While Volkswagen dealers are working hard to retain those customers, other automakers, including Volvo and Hyundai, are suggesting special incentives on alternatives to VW diesels to woo the customers away.

Volkswagen admitted last weekend that its chairman, Hans Dieter Potsch, is part of a widening German government investigation into violations of securities laws by keeping investors in the dark about the extent of financial risk that the company was facing due to the initial diesel emissions scandal. The company lost as much as thirty five percent of its value in the days following the disclosure of the diesel cheat device in September 2015, according to MarketWatch.

Former Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn and the head of VW`s passenger car division, Herbert Diess, are also subjects of the German prosecutors` investigation. No charges have been brought in Germany for the cheats themselves, only for the securities implications of the company`s deeds.

More than nine million vehicles across Europe were involved in the earlier scandal. The company faces almost $9 billion in claims from investors. They include government agencies, investment funds from around the world, and the California state government pension agency.

See our continuing coverage to learn more about the diesel emissions buyback program and its effects on Volkswagen, its customers, and its dealers. For the latest car buying advice and news, go after the accomplished journalists and researchers of U.S. News & World Report on Twitter and Facebook.

Sizing Up the Competition

The A6 presently ranks No. One out of sixteen cars in our luxury midsize car rankings.

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