9:52 am, October 5, 2015
REGULATORS in America are to scrutinise the emissions levels of cars made by a wide range of manufacturers, following the revelation last month that Volkswagen vehicles were fitted with ‘defeat devices’ in order to falsify laboratory test results.
Models made by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors and Chrysler are set to come in for examination, according to reports.
The authorities in the US and UK have also pledged to test used vehicles in ‘real-world’ conditions, rather than simply accept the results of lab tests performed on brand new cars.
Manufacturers of diesel vehicles sold in Britain have been contacted by the Department of Transport and told that the real-world testing will be taking place.
Stanley Young, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, one of the agencies that discovered VW’s activities, told The Times that his organisation was ‘spreading its net wide’ to include all models and makes of diesel cars and that real-world tests were crucial.
‘They show whether vehicles on the road are delivering the same kind of pollution control they promise,’ he told the paper. ‘We are going to be using special test cycles that can’t be fooled.’
In Britain, VW diesel models will be the first cars to be tested, after which work will be carried out to establish whether the illegal software used by the German manufacturer is being employed elsewhere.
MORE ON VW SCANDAL:
Ford and BMW defend German car industry
UK owners won’t be hit with tax rise
Car supermarket slashes German vehicle prices
Thousands of vehicle sales are halted in UK
Almost 1.2 million vehicles affected in UK
Values ‘marginally affected’ by emissions
700,000 Seat cars fitted with emissions test ‘cheat’ software
Winterkorn facing probe by German prosecutors
Audi reveals more than 2m of its cars worldwide have ‘cheat’ software
Switzerland bans sale of diesel Volkswagens
Carmaker admits diesel scandal affects VW Group vehicles
Government was warned about emissions testing
Department for Transport launches emissions investigation
CAP predicts no impact on Volkswagen residual values
Skoda, Seat and Audi dealers braced for bad news
UK businesses hit by ripple effect
Biggest UK lawsuit could be on the cards
VW just tip of the iceberg amid claims tests are open to abuse
Chief executive ‘could lose his job’
