The German automotive industry is dismayed by the manipulation of exhaust tests discovered at one company in the US. What has happened there is incompatible with how the automotive industry perceives itself. A practice involving the wrongful use of a special piece of engine software is inacceptable.
We regret most deeply what has happened and take the situation very seriously. The events must now be fully and consistently investigated, and the necessary measures taken to regain lost trust.
The German automotive industry supports the authorities as they work towards comprehensive clarification and examination.
Clarification will also involve making a differentiated evaluation of varying situations. For example, the issue that has just come to light is not a general problem with diesels. Our companies have developed the modern diesel technology that leads to the lowest pollutant emissions. Modern diesel drive trains are indispensable for achieving the European climate protection targets. The Euro 6 standard, which has been binding for all new registrations since September 1, 2015, protects both the environment and consumers.
Consumption and emissions in road traffic fluctuate considerably. The EU emission standards are determined on the test bench in a procedure prescribed by law. Deviation from the EU standard values determined by this method, when vehicles are on the roads, cannot be avoided for purely physical reasons and is legal. Such deviations are caused by a range of factors, principally by motorists’ varying driving styles and the traffic and weather conditions. The resulting bandwidth for consumption and emissions applies to all types of drive trains. A new consumption test (the WLTP) and exhaust measurements on the roads (RDE Regulation) are to be introduced to reduce the differences between the test bench and the roads in the future. The German automotive industry has been cooperating intensively and constructively on the relevant reforms for several years.
