Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Zafira'.
Found 4 results
-
It seems a week can't go by without another automaker being embroiled in either a fuel economy or emission mess. This week, the German Government has requested Opel to provide more information on a piece of software that turns off the emission controls in the Zafira. The issue at hand is whether or not this software violates regulations. "Shut-off devices are fundamentally illegal, unless it is truly necessary to safeguard the engine," said Alexander Dobrindt, Germany's transport minister after a meeting with Opel to discuss this issue. "Therefore it's clear that in this situation, we have our doubts." This meeting comes after a joint investigation between Spiegel magazine, ARD television's Monitor program and the Deutsche Umwelthilfe environmentalist group. The investigation found software used in the Insignia and Zafira that would turn off emission controls under various conditions such as going above 90 mph. Opel went on the defensive, saying the conclusion was wrong. "We at Opel don't have any illegal software," said Opel president Karl-Thomas Neumann in a statement on Tuesday. Opel explained they do have software that can turn off the emission controls at high speeds, but this was only done to protect the engine. The automaker says this software is legal. But the committee who is looking into this issue has their doubts. "The investigating committee has doubts about whether this practice is completely justified by the protection of the engine," said Dobrindt. Opel has promised to cooperate with the investigation. The committee gave the automaker 14 days to provide technical information on the software. Dobrindt said he would ask other automakers if they use something similar to Opel's software. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Reuters -
It seems a week can't go by without another automaker being embroiled in either a fuel economy or emission mess. This week, the German Government has requested Opel to provide more information on a piece of software that turns off the emission controls in the Zafira. The issue at hand is whether or not this software violates regulations. "Shut-off devices are fundamentally illegal, unless it is truly necessary to safeguard the engine," said Alexander Dobrindt, Germany's transport minister after a meeting with Opel to discuss this issue. "Therefore it's clear that in this situation, we have our doubts." This meeting comes after a joint investigation between Spiegel magazine, ARD television's Monitor program and the Deutsche Umwelthilfe environmentalist group. The investigation found software used in the Insignia and Zafira that would turn off emission controls under various conditions such as going above 90 mph. Opel went on the defensive, saying the conclusion was wrong. "We at Opel don't have any illegal software," said Opel president Karl-Thomas Neumann in a statement on Tuesday. Opel explained they do have software that can turn off the emission controls at high speeds, but this was only done to protect the engine. The automaker says this software is legal. But the committee who is looking into this issue has their doubts. "The investigating committee has doubts about whether this practice is completely justified by the protection of the engine," said Dobrindt. Opel has promised to cooperate with the investigation. The committee gave the automaker 14 days to provide technical information on the software. Dobrindt said he would ask other automakers if they use something similar to Opel's software. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), Reuters View full article -
When information first broke out that Volkswagen was using illegal software to fool emission testing equipment on their diesel vehicles, questions arose of whether or not other automakers are doing the same thing. Belgian news site VRT News alleges that Opel is secretly updating the emission control software in the Zafira 1.6 diesel by saying it's only a software update. This vehicle has been the target of various environmental groups as being one of the dirtiest vehicles. VRT News tested two Zafiras - with and without the update - and found the update cut emissions by more than half in one and by three-quarters in another. In their report, VRT News said dealers originally acknowledged the update was for cutting back on emissions. But later footage taken by hidden camera shows dealers aren't admitting the update is for emissions. Opel has issued a statement this week strongly denying they changing the emission levels, saying the update in question has nothing to do with adjusting emissions. Source: VRT News, Opel Press Release is on Page 2 Statement on claims of VRT News, Belgium Rüsselsheim. Opel clearly rejects the claim of VRT News that Opel dealers have been modifying software in the Zafira Tourer 1.6 diesel that changes the emission behavior of these vehicles. 15-P-044, the service update mentioned, has nothing to do with changing emission levels. In addition, no other recalls to achieve better emission values have been launched in 2015. Service update 15-P-044 has been discussed with the German Type Approval Authority KBA. The testing of vehicle emissions is a very complex topic. The data provided by “Emissions Analytics” does not give us enough information on, for example, their NEDC test execution and RDE tests to understand their results fully. We also need more information on the history of the test vehicle itself. “Emissions Analytics” admit in their report that their tests might deviate from regulated tests. As highlighted many times in recent months, we reaffirm that we do not deploy any software that recognizes if the car is undergoing an exhaust emissions test. In addition, Opel announced in December that the company is voluntarily taking the next step to meet future emissions guidelines, both on CO2 and NOx. From mid-summer 2016, and in addition to the official fuel consumption and CO2 information, fuel consumption figures recorded under the WLTP (“Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure”) cycle will also be published. In addition, Opel engineers have recently started working on an initiative to implement NOx emission improvements on SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) diesel applications. This is a voluntary and early improvement towards the so-called RDE (Real Driving Emissions) legislation that goes into effect in 2017. Opel puts its focus on the customer and on ensuring clarity and transparency. View full article
-
As the Diesel Emits: Is Opel Quietly Fixing Zafira Diesels?
William Maley posted an article in Opel/Vauxhall
When information first broke out that Volkswagen was using illegal software to fool emission testing equipment on their diesel vehicles, questions arose of whether or not other automakers are doing the same thing. Belgian news site VRT News alleges that Opel is secretly updating the emission control software in the Zafira 1.6 diesel by saying it's only a software update. This vehicle has been the target of various environmental groups as being one of the dirtiest vehicles. VRT News tested two Zafiras - with and without the update - and found the update cut emissions by more than half in one and by three-quarters in another. In their report, VRT News said dealers originally acknowledged the update was for cutting back on emissions. But later footage taken by hidden camera shows dealers aren't admitting the update is for emissions. Opel has issued a statement this week strongly denying they changing the emission levels, saying the update in question has nothing to do with adjusting emissions. Source: VRT News, Opel Press Release is on Page 2 Statement on claims of VRT News, Belgium Rüsselsheim. Opel clearly rejects the claim of VRT News that Opel dealers have been modifying software in the Zafira Tourer 1.6 diesel that changes the emission behavior of these vehicles. 15-P-044, the service update mentioned, has nothing to do with changing emission levels. In addition, no other recalls to achieve better emission values have been launched in 2015. Service update 15-P-044 has been discussed with the German Type Approval Authority KBA. The testing of vehicle emissions is a very complex topic. The data provided by “Emissions Analytics” does not give us enough information on, for example, their NEDC test execution and RDE tests to understand their results fully. We also need more information on the history of the test vehicle itself. “Emissions Analytics” admit in their report that their tests might deviate from regulated tests. As highlighted many times in recent months, we reaffirm that we do not deploy any software that recognizes if the car is undergoing an exhaust emissions test. In addition, Opel announced in December that the company is voluntarily taking the next step to meet future emissions guidelines, both on CO2 and NOx. From mid-summer 2016, and in addition to the official fuel consumption and CO2 information, fuel consumption figures recorded under the WLTP (“Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Vehicles Test Procedure”) cycle will also be published. In addition, Opel engineers have recently started working on an initiative to implement NOx emission improvements on SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) diesel applications. This is a voluntary and early improvement towards the so-called RDE (Real Driving Emissions) legislation that goes into effect in 2017. Opel puts its focus on the customer and on ensuring clarity and transparency.
