Audi News: As the Diesel Emits: Audi Faces Accusations On A7 and A8 TDIs Cheating

[William Maley]

The diesel emission scandal has once again flared up as Audi stands accused of using illegal software on certain A7 and A8 TDI models. 

Yesterday, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that Audi employed illegal software to cheat emission tests on certain A7 and A8 models built between 2009 to 2013. The affected models are said to emit twice the legal limit of nitrogen oxides when the steering wheel is turned more than 15 degrees - a condition that would happen in the real world and not in the lab.

German tabloid Bild reported that Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Mueller was summoned to the transport ministry. A ministry spokesman confirmed Muller's visit to Reuters.

The ministry has requested the company to issue a recall on the two models - 24,000 in total with 14,000 of those registered in Germany - and set a deadline for June 12 for a plan to retrofit the vehicles with legal software. Audi did issue the recall last night and said it has a fix coming in July. 

According to a source, the issue deals with the interaction between transmission and engine control units and that a fix has been submitted to Germany's transportation watchdog, the KBA.

Source: Deutsche Welle, Reuters

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[FAPTurbo]

[A Horse With No Name]

Methinks the entire world has seemingly become a crap show...sort of like a less pleasant version of Shakespeare "all the world is a stage..."

[G. David Felt]

AND ANOTHER NAIL in the Diesel coffin! 

[smk4565]

Basically diesel is dead by 2020.  Every carmaker that has them has been fined or is under investigation or will get a class action lawsuit, because even if they didn't cheat, the lawyers smell blood and think they can get money out of them.

[balthazar]

Software / technology makes tricks like this SO easy, it's not that different than a :wink: 'servicably' engineered part that is later specifically responsible for a widespread recall. If people didn't widely shun toyota after sub-par engineering begat 25 million vehicles recalled in 10-12 years, I don't see ANY diesel buyers fleeing en-mass for emissions. Trucks are half the U.S. market and the demand there keeps edging up. Diesel cars aren't going anywhere.

[A Horse With No Name]

18 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Software / technology makes tricks like this SO easy, it's not that different than a :wink: 'servicably' engineered part that is later specifically responsible for a widespread recall. If people didn't widely shun toyota after sub-par engineering begat 25 million vehicles recalled in 10-12 years, I don't see ANY diesel buyers fleeing en-mass for emissions. Trucks are half the U.S. market and the demand there keeps edging up. Diesel cars aren't going anywhere.

People still really want diesel cars.  VW Diesels of the late model variety are selling for stupid prices now that they are fixed and back on the market...

[smk4565]

I think diesel is done, the Germans will bail on it in the US market, probably their home market soon also.  Mazda won't ever do the diesel they wanted to, Ford will try on F150 but how expensive will it be as an option and how much will Ford have to pay to get it certified because they will test the heck out of it.  And eventually GM will get a in a lawsuit over the Cruze diesel, even if it does comply they will get sued anyway to prove it, or else pay out money to thousands of people that bought it.

There is just a witch hunt against diesel right now.  Diesel is great for the MPG and the torque, but the tribe has spoken and it is getting voted off the island.  And just wait till 2030-ish when Europe bans sales of the internal combustion engine.  

[balthazar]

If the 'Germans' bail on it, it's because they know they committed a crime via illegal software.

[Drew Dowdell]

GM has taken the time to pre-certify their latest diesels with the EPA, so if something comes up later, it's on the EPA.