Does VW also cheat on petrol cars?
According to research by SWR radio, a new exhaust gas scandal has arisen at VW. This time it concerns the subsidiary company Audi, which has been part of the group since the 1960s.
The particularly perfidious thing about it: the international group is said to have deliberately deceived its customers not only with diesel models but also with petrol engines. A court report confirms that one of these ominous cut-off devices was installed in an SUV from 2015. If the tyres of the vehicles to be tested turn during tests on a chassis dynamometer, but the steering wheel is not moved at the same time, the respective vehicle independently recognises that an emissions test is being carried out. As a result, the vehicle switches immediately and apparently unnoticed so far to a "clean mode" that embellishes the measurements. The principle here is the same as in the now famous diesel gate scandal of the parent company VW.
According to the report, nitrogen oxide emissions were a proud 300 percent higher than Audi had declared.
Kai Borgeest, head of the Center for Automotive Electronics and Internal Combustion Engines at the Technical University of Aschaffenburg, comes to a clear conclusion after viewing the above-mentioned report: "It is noticeable that, especially at the higher speeds during the exhaust emission test, the nitrogen oxide values go up considerably when the steering wheel is turned. And this is a classic example of a cut-off device." Leading lawyers from the law firm Dr. Stoll & Sauer, who had already prepared the model declaratory action against VW at the time, also agree with Borgeest's statement: "The emission of pollutants is considerably lower without steering angle than with steering angle. From our point of view, this is an illegal cut-off device." The law firm has also filed a fraud charge against former Audi boss Rupert Stadler.
So it's going to be close for German car giant VW - once again.
The latest findings are another slap in the face for the group's customers, who are expressing their confidence in VW or Audi by their respective purchase decisions. The loss of image will be enormous and will inevitably drag VW deeper and deeper into the biggest crisis in its history.