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Fiat accused of car emissions cheating
Source: AFP | September 2, 2016, Friday | Print Edition
THE German government has accused Fiat-Chrysler of incorporating emissions cheating technology into some vehicles, in a letter to the European Commission seen by AFP yesterday.
"From our point of view, evidence has been provided of the use of an illegal defeat device" in some diesel-powered Fiat-Chrysler vehicles, the letter from the German transport ministry reads.
Germany launched an investigation into emissions cheating earlier this year after Volkswagen's September 2015 admission that it had built so-called "defeat devices" into 11 million vehicles, designed to make them appear less polluting under regulatory tests.
German government sources have now said that the affected Fiat-Chrysler vehicles include two Fiat 500x models, a Jeep Renegade and a Fiat Doblo.
"Step-by-step reduction of the exhaust treatment and a related step-by-step increase in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions" was found in testing by both German and Italian authorities, the letter continues.
Affected vehicles deactivated their storage catalytic converters and exhaust recuperation systems after six test cycles or a 22-minute delay resulting in NOx emissions "9 to 15 times higher than the legal limit," it said.