A European consumer group claims that Volkswagen’s supposed technical fix for the Audi Q5 actually increases harmful emissions.
The German automaker had said that the fix for the 8,5 million vehicles in Europe affected by the emissions scandal would render them compliant with EU regulations.
But Italian consumer group Altroconsumo says it has tested a vehicle – an Audi Q5 fitted with the offending 2,0-litre EA189 engine – that has undergone the apparent fix, finding that nitrogen oxide emissions are now in fact some 25% higher than before.
“This is another blow for EU consumers and a new dimension to the VW scandal. This test by our Italian member clearly shows that VW’s solution to deactivate the defeat device is not reliable,” said the European Consumer Organisation, of which Altroconsumo is a member.
“It is imperative that the German testing agency who approved the fix, but also their national counterparts, urgently re-examine the solutions to repair the affected cars and that they publish these results.
“Consumers need to be 100% certain that their car will be in conformity with emission thresholds after the recall,” the statement said.
The Volkswagen Group had said that the affected 2,0-litre engines would require nothing more than a “software upgrade” (essentially, the removal of the so-called defeat device). Affected 1,6-litre mills, meanwhile, would also require the fitment of a “flow transformer” directly in front of the air mass sensor.
