A fresh report out of Germany claims that US authorities have discovered three new “unapproved” software programmes in 3,0-litre diesel engines from the Volkswagen Group.
German weekly Bild am Sonntag reported that this software completely shuts down emissions control systems after some 22 minutes, adding that official emissions testing methods generally last for around 20 minutes.
The 3,0-litre TDI engines in question are fitted to the Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne.
It must be added, however, that the publication did not cite any sources in its report.
This latest alleged “cheat” differs to that at the centre of the diesel emissions scandal that broke in September 2015, when a so-called “defeat device” that effectively identifies testing procedures and switches to a low-emissions mode was uncovered.
Both Audi and the US Environmental Protection Agency declined to comment on the report.
