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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    As the Diesel Emits: CARB Alleges Another Cheat Device In Audi Vehicles

      New allegations point to Audi using illegal software to pass emission tests with gas and diesel vehicles

    If you thought this tangled web of deceit and lies that is the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal could not go any further, then you would be wrong.

    German newspaper, Bild am Sonntag reports that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found illegal software on certain Audi models that would reduce CO2 emissions during lab tests. The software monitored the position of the steering wheel and would activate a special program in the automatic transmission if the wheel didn't move more than 15 degrees - signifying it was in the lab. CARB technicians, taking the lessons of the Volkswagen investigation, began turning the wheel during the lab test to simulate being driven on the road, thus revealing the cheat. Bild doesn't say where they got this information from. but the Wall Street Journal was able to confirm this through two sources, saying this was discovered four months back. Another source revealed this cheat was discussed between Audi, Volkswagen, and CARB officials "some months ago".

    What makes this cheat different than the one used on the 2.0L and 3.0L TDI engines is that this software was used on vehicles running gas or diesel. The transmission in question (known internally as AL 551) was used in a number of Audi vehicles such as the A6, A8, and Q5. Reuters says the software in question was used until May 2016, before CARB discovered it in an older Audi model.

    This defeat device was also mentioned during an annual test drive of new vehicles in South Africa, known as 'Summer Drive" back in February 2013. Minutes of a meeting during the drive obtained by the Wall Street Journal reveals that Axel Eiser, the head of Audi’s powertrain division saying, The shifting program needs to be configured so that it runs at 100% on the treadmill but only 0.01% with the customer.”

    These new allegations could put Audi and Volkswagen into a tougher spot in the U.S.

    Stay tuned.

    Source: Bild am Sonntag, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Required)

    Edited by William Maley

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    Recommended Comments

    A Horse With No Name
    23 minutes ago, dfelt said:

    Ouch, this just increased the Billions they will have to pay and the amount of auto's that will be recalled.

    Buick Envision, you are looking really nice right now as a replacement for a TDI.

    Anything non VW....they just got caught on another cheat on the 1.4 L gas cars, does not affect US models.

    And yes, Envision would work well!

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